Dragonball Z: Golden Age
by TheWriteFiction
Summary: Gohan's final battle with his arch nemesis Cell isn't interrupted by Vegeta's blunder. Watch how this single moment changes the events of things to come, as we follow the story of the young Saiyan as he goes on to forge his own path- facing new dangers, making new friends, and redefining his destiny. The story of Gohan that should've been. [Current Arc - Majin Buu Saga]
1. Cell Saga - Prologue

**Author's Note:** Opening chapter to the rewrite of Golden Age.

* * *

**Dragonball Z**

_**Golden Age**_

_Prologue_

(The final battle…)

_Shock._

_Shock, disbelief, and fury._

_These were the emotions currently going through Gohan's mind as the young Super Saiyan- battered, bruised, and bleeding from the multiple wounds he'd received over the course of his day- stood in front of his friends and glared down the newly returned form of Earth's newest threat, Cell. Only this time the android was in a much different state than he was before._

_Following his startling transformation and subsequent thrashing of the biomechanical abomination, Gohan had managed to bring the once almighty and seemingly invincible monster to his knees. With all of Cell's attacks either being brushed off or avoided by the young hero, and a Super Kamehameha rendering his foe teetering on the edge of death, the android then received a crushing blow to the stomach and face that forced him to regurgitate Android 18 from his system._

_With the female android forcefully ejected from his guts and robbing the android of one of his most important pieces, the damaged and broken down Cell promptly reverted back to his Semi-Perfect state. At that point, it seemed as though victory was assured for Gohan and his friends, and that he would finish his enemy off with one, decisive blow._

_But then, thanks to a moment of carelessness on the demi-Saiyan's part- with the boy hero wanting to see the android suffer for all the pain he'd caused him and his friends- the desperate android unexpectedly triggered a self-destruct mechanism inside his body, which transformed him into a living, ticking time bomb that, if ruptured, was more than capable of taking the entire planet with him._

_Since picking his body up would prove too hazardous and destroying him with a blast was too risky, as any of these moves would cause the android to explode, it appeared as though Cell had finally won._

_However, just as Gohan and everybody else thought it was all over, Goku suddenly jumped in and, following a last, fond farewell with his son, teleported Cell away to self-destruct on a distant world- far out of reach of the planet._

_A moment of silence then followed. With his father having sacrificed himself to save the planet once again and their foe seemingly vanquished for good, Gohan had been left wallowing in a fit of despair and frustration. The aggression gained from his newfound power and his desire for vengeance against his enemy blinding his better judgement, had caused the child to make one of the biggest and costly mistakes in his life. Because of his overconfidence, he'd lost his father… and in his rage, he'd almost allowed their world's most dangerous threat to take all of their lives._

_After his friends came over to console him- telling him that they could wish Goku and everybody else back with the dragon balls- the boy was brought back to his feet. If only for the moment._

_But just when the group thought it was all over… __**he**__ returned._

_Against all odds, Cell came back, assumed in his Perfect Form and imbued with a newfound purpose and power, on par with that of the newly transformed Gohan. Though it seemed completely impossible, as the Z-fighters stood gaping at the newly resurrected android in all of his glory, they learned through him that thanks to a specially designed nucleus inside his head- a failsafe given to him by his late creator Dr. Gero- Cell was able to regenerate from his self-destruct and regain all of his lost powers. What's more, thanks to the Saiyan cells inside of him, his near-death experience had allowed the warrior to receive a massive boost in strength in the form of a Zenkai, meaning that he was able to return fully healed, improved, and more powerful than ever before._

_A fact that he made all too apparent when he emerged from the smoke and wordlessly shot down Trunks with a well-timed Death Beam, killing the time-traveling Saiyan instantly._

_This had left the Z-warriors stunned. So stunned in fact that all of them could be seen trembling with fear at the sight of the android and the feeling of raw, overwhelming power emanating from his body. With his form cloaked in a fierce golden aura and surrounded by a bio-field of blue electricity, Cell looked more terrifying and more menacing than he ever had before._

_From Piccolo and everybody else's point of view, it looked like no one would be able to stand up to him, and that they were all about to meet a swift, painful end._

_At least, that's what it seemed._

_After telling the group about his regeneration, the now physically and mentally vested Cell smirked confidently as his lightning field crackled around him and aura blasted dust towards his adversaries. Seeing how shaken up the heroes were, the android knew he had the upper hand and decided to flex that advantage._

"_And there you have it. You could say that I'm new and improved," Perfect Cell all but chuckled, clenching his fists as he glared across at the gaping Z-fighters. "Goku failed… and so will all of you! But I'm willing to give you another chance if you want." When he saw most of them take a cautious step back, the green android laughed. "So… which one of you cowards is the bravest? Who will step up for one, final showdown against me?"_

_With pure, unbridled fury coursing through his body and causing his hands to clench tightly into fists, the emotionally rattled and infuriated Gohan shot the cocky android a foul glare. The realization of his failure to finish his foe remaining fresh in his mind, as well as the sacrifice of his father being completely in vein, the demi-Saiyan finally snapped._

_Taking a deep breath, the young Super Saiyan leaned forward and gave a mighty howl of rage, his messy blond hair spiking straight upwards- a split second before his golden aura erupted from his body. The shockwave generated from his transformation was so great it nearly knocked over his friends, all of whom were standing behind him as they were hit by a hot blast of wind._

_Dust billowing around him, a startled and deeply shaken Vegeta turned to the young warrior when he saw him ascend to the next level. "Gohan… no."_

_As his aura ripped through the air around him and sent waves of debris billowing towards his opponent, the now fully-powered demi-Saiyan growled as his transformation stabilized. "You don't scare me, Cell!" A smirk then crossed his lips as he straightened up, currents of electricity running up his form, before shooting out and striking the ground- scorching the floor in multiple places._

_Seeming unimpressed by the boy's show of power, Cell lifted a hand and rested it against his hip. "Hmm… isn't that curious?" he muttered, before then nodding to the youngster. "Are you feeling okay?"_

_Gohan chuckled, at the same time raising his right hand and clenching his right fist tightly. "Sure. Good enough to avenge my dad." He then thrust that arm down as he stared the android right in the face, watching as his smile promptly faded. "As much as he would love to be here taking care of you himself, I'm afraid you're just going to have to settle with me." His grin widened momentarily in a show of bravery. "Don't worry. I'll gladly take you on and put you down myself."_

_This remark had Cell's eye twitch as his hand dropped from his waist. "Is that so? Do you honestly think you'll be able to do it?"_

_The demi-Saiyan chuckled while quickly sliding a foot back. "If you're as powerful as you say you are… then bring it on!" He then set himself a fighting pose, dropping low, clenching his right arm at his side, and lifting his right hand up in defense. Doing so caused his aura to intensify sharply, sending another current of lightning shooting out, sending his friends stumbling back when the wind from him increased in ferocity. "I want to see how strong you've really become."_

_Cell, growing fed up of the child's goading, scoffed before bringing his hands up and clenching them at his sides. "Hmph. Such confidence. I doubt you know what you're up against this round, little man!"_

_With Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and Vegeta hanging back and looking on fearfully as Gohan faced down the maniacal Cell, the stage became set for one final, all-out brawl between the demi-Saiyan hero and the biological abomination that was his foe. As the winds from their respective auras howled across the desert landscape, parting the clouds above and causing Hercule, his students, and the news crew accompanying them to duck and cover, the momentary lull in the stand-off allowed the members of the Z-fighters to quickly move back and check on Trunks._

_His body lying in the dirt, Yamcha and Tien quietly checked on him to see if he was okay. But when the scar-faced warrior knelt down to check his vitals, he saw from the blank look on his startled face that the young man was gone. This caused him to clench his fist angrily and looked back towards the action, where he saw Gohan's back- strong and firm- turned to him and the others._

_Keeping a growl suppressed, the human fighter hissed, "Get him, Gohan."_

_After several seconds of glaring each other down, the half-Saiyan hero decided to make the first move. The ground cracked when the child's energy roared furiously, a split second before he leant over and bolted forward- a sonic boom ripping outwards from his launch._

_Cell, expecting a frontal assault from the get-go, smirked and stepped forward, swinging out with his left arm at the same time. The android's limb connected with Gohan's attack when he struck at him with a flying elbow, the boy's collision causing a massive shockwave to fracture the earth beneath them as the child powered into his opponent and sent him skidding back along the ground._

_The bug's feet dug through the desert rock as he attempted to hold off the charging bull that was the demi-Saiyan. Cell actually appeared momentarily startled at the kid's display of strength. However, after a couple milliseconds of feeling his body get pushed back at an accelerated rate, an excited grin then tugged across the android's lips._

_From there, Gohan proceeded to unleash hell on the monster, a rain of punches and kicks flying towards the green fighter in a blur of movement, who immediately countered with an assault of his own. As the taller warrior casually retreated for more breathing room, the pair exchanged blow after blow at lightning fast speeds- their attacks tearing up the countryside as they zigzagged across the desert for over five miles in less than a second, sending bolts of lightning shooting everywhere._

_Following a vicious flurry of hits and parries, a slightly overwhelmed Cell growled and cut at his opponent with a decapitating chop, forcing Gohan to duck under his strike and dart backwards- skidding across the floor in a crouched position and leaving a trail of electricity in his wake. When the android pulled back from his missed attack, the crouching demi-Saiyan then bolted towards him in a shimmer of gold and vanished, nailing his opponent with a combination of kicks that the warrior barely blocked using his arms. A second later the child sprang into the air, performed a cool flip, and touched down on the ground several yards away._

_Cell, feeling the sting of those kicks reverberate through his hands and forearms as smoke lifted from the bruises, grinned across at the youngster when he saw him glaring daggers in his direction. "Ah… so the little runt still has some fight left in him after all." Bringing his arms around, the power-drunk android sneered as he flexed his aura and caused a surge of energy to tear off of him- his aura blasting a crater into the floor beneath him. "Alright then, kid! Let's see what else you've got!"_

_Growling angrily, Gohan charged yet again, with Cell reciprocating his actions and lunging in to meet him. When the pair came into range of one another- an infuriated glare from the demi-Saiyan matching the ecstatic grin on the android's- the pair vanished into two respective blurs and shot straight up into the sky._

_What immediately followed was the most awesome display of martial arts finesse and agility the Z-fighters had ever witnessed, as the two oddly matched warriors began a heated battle above the planet's surface. The entire sky became filled with countless repeating shockwaves and explosions of wind, most of which seemed to go off in multiple locations at once. The pair's attacks collided over and over again with such force that the resulting discharges of energy were enough to punch holes through clouds, disperse them entirely, and rattle the atmosphere so violently that even the planet was shaken._

_One particular clash between the pair generated a shockwave directly over the group of stunned Z-fighters, the tremor knocking Tien and Yamcha off their feet, while also causing both Piccolo and Vegeta to stumble. This close call forced the heroes to brace themselves, as more and more shockwave bursts continued to thunder across the sky above and threaten to tear the land asunder. _

"_Whoa! This is insane!" Krillin cried out, having dropped to his knees with Android 18 still in his arms- unconscious. Glancing up at the sky, the human fighter looked in time to spot a literal lightning bolt shoot out from one of the pair's sonic booms, which struck the earth directly beneath them and smashed a large fissure into the ground. "Look at them go!"_

_Piccolo, clenching his teeth nervously, raised a fist and tightened it at his side. "Come on, Gohan! You can do it! Get that bastard!"_

_Up in the sky, things were really starting to heat up, as Gohan stayed on the attack while his foe remained defensive._

_When Cell got up high, the android grunted and pitched a cluster of __**Kienzan**__ (Spirit Circle Cut) discs towards his foe, who managed to speedily dodge all of them and avoid being cut to pieces, before charging up at the man to carry on his assault. With a growl, the kid swung at the retreating android with a punch. Upon seeing the android parry his strike, the youngster then prepared to follow-up, only to see Cell dive in and thrust his knee forward._

_A loud bang rang out when the android's limb impacted the boy and buried into his torso, seemingly knocking the wind out of the hero. When he saw his opponent lurch over his leg, a wide smirk crossed Cell's arrogant face, which only disappeared moments later when he saw that Gohan had caught his knee with both hands and was holding it back._

_Clenching his teeth against the strain, the child then looked up at Cell with a cocky grin, which only caused the android's eye to twitch before the warrior went ahead with his attack._

_From there the duo continued trying to pummel each other into submission, their lightning fast swings flashing and flickering around them as they attacked and evaded simultaneously. Doing so at such speeds caused their bodies to multiply into various after images, showcasing the pair's respective intense and smirking expressions. Gohan was for the most part remaining calm, whereas Cell appeared to be enjoying himself._

_Following a brisk exchange in the air, the pair dropped altitude, all the while continuing to lash out at one another. Eventually it got to a point where the stalemate between them reached its end, and the two fighters swung out at their opponent with a vicious right cross._

_Their attacks slammed into each other's faces at virtually the same time, their cheeks caving and blood being sent flying from their mouths as the sound of a cannon firing rang out. A split second following their impact, a shockwave sent both warriors flying away from each other, sending both warriors towards the ground and sliding backwards through the dirt. Digging their heels in, both Gohan and Cell stopped their momentum and assumed defensive fighting stances- all the while electricity danced around them in a storm._

_Feeling blood trickle from the corner of his mouth, Gohan reached up and brushed it away on the back of his hand. Upon which a smirk crossed his lips. "Heh. It looks like you've gotten a bit stronger since before."_

_Cell, rubbing the blood from his chin as well, frowned back at the child. "Hmph. A bit?" After glancing down at the blood, the android looked up and smirked. "It seems to me that you need to learn your place in the pecking order." The moment his arms dropped, his red eyes suddenly gleamed brightly._

_Alarm bells going off, Gohan powered up and sprang into the air, just in time to avoid the two pink beams that suddenly shot out of the android's eyes and streaked towards him at speeds faster than light. When it looked like the attacks slammed into the ground, the two lines of light suddenly shot back out of the floor and chased after the retreating child, who looked behind him when he sensed the attack was still on his tail._

_Spinning around, the demi-Saiyan chopped out with his hand and knocked the two beams away with a loud __**crack**__, sending them arcing off into the sky. The moment he did however, Gohan suddenly felt something grab his ankle tightly, prompting him to look down._

_When he did, the young warrior saw that Cell had managed to stretch out his arm in a similar fashion to Piccolo, and had managed to snag him by the leg._

_With a malicious grin, the android grunted and yanked the child across the sky before swinging him straight down into the floor several yards away. The moment Gohan slammed into the ground- causing a loud tremor to reverberate outwards- Cell threw him up into the sky again, whipped him over, and drove him a second time into the desert on the other side. Getting dropped into his back not only punched a small divot into the floor, but also caused the demi-Saiyan to cough up blood._

_Smirking maniacally, Cell then pivoted about and, with one mighty heave, yanked the boy off the floor and threw him towards a distant plateau. The moment his hand released the child's ankle and sent him flying, the android reeled in his limb back to its original placement, whereupon he was able to watch his opponent arc through the air before slamming into the mountain, his impact causing the entire mound to implode on itself._

_As rubble cascaded around Gohan's landing spot, Cell swung his right hand back and quickly began charging up his next attack. A shimmer of golden energy lifted off of his palm as he took aim at the collapsing mountain. "Don't you get it yet, kid?! There's no way your feeble Saiyan powers can possibly stand up to mine! I was specially handcrafted to kill you and every other living thing in existence!" After gathering enough energy, the android then curled his knuckles and thrust his index and middle fingers upwards. "I AM THE PERFECT WEAPON!"_

_What followed immediately afterwards was a flash of blinding light, before an explosion erupted from the center of the demolished mountain and smashed a fissure into the ground. Flames gushed into the air as an area a mile across was engulfed in a raging inferno, which hammered the landscape and incinerated everything lying within range of Nappa's signature __**Bakuhatsuha**__ (Volcanic Explosion)._

_The planet rocking under the sheer force of the blast, the Z-fighters and Cell watched as the column of fire transformed into a mushroom cloud, which billowed into the sky and choked the atmosphere with smoke and embers. As Cell watched the air slowly start to clear, thinking he'd finally vanquished his annoying foe, he suddenly saw Gohan come flying out of the cloud and straight towards him, his top torn in half, his skin slightly singed, but otherwise alive and well._

_Seeing the kid powering towards him with his aura blazing around him and an intense glare on his face caused Cell to grin and take a new stance. "You're persistent, aren't you?!" He then grunted and powered up, surrounding himself in his golden aura and electrical field. "Come on then!"_

_The moment Gohan flew within range, the android thrust his hand forward and fired a golden blast at him. Undeterred, the approaching youngster smashed it aside and charged on through. As he descended towards his foe at full speed, the child gave out a growl, threw his hands up and fanned them over his forehead- one on top of the other._

_Immediately recognizing the attack that was coming from the way the boy cupped his palms, Cell scoffed. "Ha! As if I'd let such an obvious attack hit me!" The man then cocked his other hand back and charged up his next attack. "Is that all you've got, boy?! Why don't you show me something new?!"_

"_**MA-SEN-KOOOO…!"**_ _(Demon's Flash of Light) Gohan chanted, confirming for the android exactly the kind of attack he was going to fire while charging down at him in a straight line._

_Smirking, Cell then thrust his hand up and launched a __**Death Beam**__ right towards the child, aiming to hit him right between the eyes._

_However, just when it seemed like his attack was going to hit, Gohan then did something completely unexpected. While flying straight into the path of the incoming attack, the child swung his legs forward, swayed back and ducked right under the piercing laser. The midair maneuver caught Cell completely off guard, as did the next move when the demi-Saiyan- only a few meters away- knocked his heels together and thrust them down at the android._

"_**HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**_ _Immediately after his dodge, the hybrid child then unleashed a massive, golden blast from the bottom of his feet, which erupted outwards in a roar and engulfed Cell at almost pointblank range._

_Getting a face full of Gohan's modified signature move, the android gave out a cry of pain as he was hit square on by the attack and felt his skin seer under the burning hot torrent of energy. A split second later the blast of golden energy that engulfed the android detonated with tremendous force, sending Cell flying back while the recoil from launching it sent Gohan flipping._

_While the demi-Saiyan landed safely back on solid ground, he watched through the parting smoke as his opponent bounced across the desert for several hundred yards, before eventually flipping back onto his feet. Slamming a hand into the ground to stop from sliding, the now incredibly singed android, trailing smoke and dust, snapped his head upwards and growled angrily._

"_You cheeky, little-"_

_Gohan smirked. "This isn't going to go down the same as last time, Cell. I'm not pulling anymore punches against you."_

_The android clicked his tongue at the child's statement. "Think you still have the upper hand, huh? I'll show you!" Electricity sparking, the android then gave a bellow of rage as his golden aura sprang up around him again at full blast. "Enough playing around! I'm finishing this right now!"_

_Gohan reciprocated his actions with a scream of his own, his aura intensifying even more than before as a stream of blue lightning shot from him and tore across the ground._

_Once both warriors had cranked up their powers to maximum output, both of their bodies then seemed to vanish into thin air. A split second later the entire countryside for a mile around started getting ripped asunder by a multitude of shockwaves going off all at once. The land exploding and combusting in various locations, the blurred forms of the two barely visible fighters darted back and forth across the barren wasteland, crisscrossed each other's paths, and duked it out in an exchange so fierce it felt like the continent itself was about to cave in under their duel._

_As mountains and plateaus collapsed, hills caved in, and areas of land went up in clouds of dust and rubble, it almost seemed like the whole planet was going straight to hell._

_And all the Z-fighters could do- unable to keep up with the pair's movements anymore- was watch as it all went down._

OOO

_(Meanwhile)_

_(Otherworld)_

_Towards the tail end of Snake Way, near the space where King Kai's Planet had previously been floating above the endless sea of yellow clouds, the aforementioned watcher of the Northern Galaxies, along with Goku, Bubbles and Gregory, could be seen floating in place and watching the events unfolding down on Earth._

_When the realization that Cell had not perished following his attempted suicide bombing of his student's adopted home world, King Kai quickly scanned the immediate area for the bug's ki signature. Managing to pick him up back down on the planet where he'd previously been transported from, the Kai received one hell of a shock when he sensed that not only had the android regained his perfect form, but had also gotten a massive power boost as a result of his regeneration. This had allowed him to lock onto the android much easier than anticipated, which then led him to giving Goku an appropriate feed of what was now taking place in the realm of the living._

_Needless to say, when both he and Goku saw Gohan jump in to take the android on for one last bout, the two of them were astounded._

_They were practically given front row seats to what could only be described as one of the greatest and most terrifying battles they had ever witnessed, as the now Super Perfect Cell went head to head with the tiny, plucky half-Saiyan youngster in a clash that was literally shaking the planet to its core. The environment itself was falling apart around them under the weight of their power._

_From what he could glimpse through King Kai's telepathic field, it was almost like Goku was watching a clash between two titans- beings possessing monstrous power. And the worst thing was, he wasn't even there to cheer on his son._

"_Wow. This is on a whole other level," the now dead Saiyan father remarked as he saw Gohan avoid Cell's blows and counter respectively, managing to deliver some punishing hits to the android._

"_You can say that again," King Kai commented, beads of sweat running down his face as he struggled to keep pace with the fight. "Your son is doing really well. His techniques and timing are improving, and it seems like he's found a good rhythm with his movements."_

"_Yeah. I think he's finally gotten a handle on his newfound power now," Goku followed up, a smile sprouting across his lips as he saw the look of determination and confidence gleaming in his boy's eyes as he blocked and countered Cell's vicious string of attacks. "I can't believe it. My son… that's him."_

_King Kai snickered when he caught the tone in his pupil's voice. "It's a lot different being on this side of the line for a change, huh?"_

_A laugh left Goku's lips when he heard that question. "In a way. Though I've always counted on my friends to hold the line while I was out of commission, this is the first time I've actually taken a back seat in the final battle." The adult warrior then nodded as a fond look danced in his charcoal eyes. "Now that Gohan has finally come into his own, I know that the Earth will be safe in his hands."_

"_I wouldn't get too comfortable just yet," King Kai interrupted, dragging his student out of his daze and toward the main issue at hand. "Don't forget, Goku: Cell is still down there. Not only is he in top form, but he's gotten a great deal more powerful than he was when you fought him. As long as he lives, both the Earth and the entire universe are at risk."_

_After all, Cell was a monster made out of monsters- a being composed of the DNA taken from the mightiest warriors in history, including all the Saiyans and Frieza. He was an abomination of the worst sort, created as an instrument of terror by a madman bent on world destruction and revenge. Cell was something that was never meant to exist._

_And the person that was stuck fighting him- this creature born from humanity's worst nightmare- was an eleven year old boy._

_Goku, hearing this statement loud and clear, smiled broadly. "I'm sure it will be fine, King Kai. After all, it's my son he's fighting. If there's anyone that can put an end to Cell's reign, it'll be him."_

_This comment drew a sigh from the short master. "I sure hope you're right."_

_Sensing the God's uncertainty, Goku craned his head and smiled. "What? You think Gohan can't win?"_

_Pressing his lips tightly as his antenna twitched, the blue-skinned martial arts teacher focused on the energies of the two warriors fighting down below. "Hmm… well… unless Gohan is still holding back a great chunk of his power, he can still win. But it's going to be a close one."_

OOO

_(Back on Earth)_

_It'd been a rigorous and grueling several minutes. But following a very intense battle between the two powerful warriors, their brawl had eventually boiled down to the two fighters standing upon the ruined battlefield. Positioned across from one another between a cluster of fissures and craters, and glaring hatefully at their opponents, the pair revealed all of the damages they'd sustained over their grudge match so far._

_While Gohan stood panting in his fighting stance- his shirt half torn off and body covered in multiple bruises and burns- Cell was standing several yards from him, hunched over and gripping his right side with his hand. He was also badly wounded, about as much as his smaller foe, who'd proven to be far more of a nuisance than he'd anticipated. In fact, based on what he could recall taking place during their skirmish, the child had been able to land more hits on him than he was._

_This infuriated the android, who- through a bleeding mouth, ruptured spleen, and a nasty cut over his eye- snarled at the boy after taking in deep gulps of air to catch his breath. "H-How? This literally doesn't make any sense…" Cell growled as he straightened up and clenched his fists, which shook angrily. "I should be much stronger than you… and yet I've taken far more damage in this battle! Why?! Just why the hell is this happening?"_

_Gohan, taking in another steady breath, smirked back at the clearly enraged android. "Simple. You made the same mistake that I did, Cell. You let your newfound powers cloud your judgment… and came to the conclusion that no one could possibly stand up to you. It blinded you to the fact that even though you've become more powerful than you ever were before, you're still nowhere near strong enough to defeat me." The boy nodded on that note affirmatively. "That's why you're losing."_

_Veins throbbing with rage, the synthetic warrior gave a low sneer as bolts of lightning sparked off of him. "Why, you… insolent… little-"_

_A serious look quickly crossed Gohan's face, his own bio-field zapping around him as his energy began to spike. "Don't think that life is ever going to go your way. It never does. You can blow yourself up and come back as many times as you like, Cell. But in the end, the result will always be the same. You may return stronger and more powerful than before, but I will always be here to stop you."_

_Quickly growing fed up at the child talking down to him, the enraged android gave a yell of anger as his aura erupted around him. The ground fracturing under the force of his power flex, the warrior then swung his right hand out, and charged a crackling white mass of energy around his hand._

"_Stop me, huh?" Cell barked, before a mad grin crossed his irate mug. "Alright then, you damn brat! STOP THIS, IF YOU CAN!"_

_As Gohan stood there, glaring across at his foe, the boy blinked in alarm when he sensed the man's ki skyrocketing and a very familiar scene from the past flash before his eyes. Recognizing the pose the android assumed instantly, the child was quickly taken back to the time where he was facing down the wrath of the hulking warrior Nappa, as the giant Saiyan brute charged up an attack to finish him off in one go._

_The vision became even clearer when Cell drew his right arm back, his other arm taking aim at the demi-Saiyan as the white sphere of hot energy pulsing around his palm reached critical mass._

"_I refuse to let another power be stronger than mine!" Aura blasting around him at full burn, accompanied by a storm of blue lightning, Cell gave one last roar before swinging his arm around and throwing it forward. "Here! HAVE IT!" He then hurled his fully-charged __**Derrakusa Bomba**__ (Bomber DX) at the youngster._

_Or at least tried._

_The moment he thrust his hand towards his distant target, Cell's eyes widened in alarm when he suddenly saw a fist appear in front of his face, a split second before a deafening gunshot rang out and a searing pain ripped through his skull and neck. This sensation was also accompanied by a splash of blood when his entire face was caved in, as Gohan- telegraphing the android's swing- managed to charge forward at a speed the warrior did not anticipate, crouched under his line of sight, and ducked under his arm._

_The moment he head-slipped Cell's arm as it hurled the energy blast, Gohan leaned forward, weaved his arm over his opponent's, and slammed his fist into the villain's face in the form of a crushing overhand right._

_The __**Jolt Counter**__ landed with concussive force, not only causing Cell's attack to miss its mark entirely, but generating a shockwave so strong that it fractured the desert beneath them, and knocked the android off his feet- slamming him into the floor._

_Trailing blood, the stunned android bounced several times across the countryside, hitting multiple parts of his body for a distance of five hundred feet before eventually grinding to a stop on the side of his face. When the dust settled around him following his very painful flight across the terrain, the severely damaged warrior struggled to push himself back to his feet._

_Gasping in shock as blood trickled from his crushed nose and mouth, Cell looked over his shoulder to where his opponent was, and spotted Gohan still standing in place- his fist extended and a fierce glare set squarely upon him._

_Trembling under the brave and determined look the youngster was throwing him, the android snapped his teeth together as his eyes widened in fury. "You… I… I promise you this isn't over! YOU HEAR ME?!" the android barked, quickly standing up, bringing his right hand forward, and jabbing his index and middle finger into his forehead. In that moment, he then vanished into thin air, disappearing from sight using Goku's __**Instant Transmission**__._

_Eyes widening in alarm, Gohan quickly fanned out his senses in an attempt to track his foe. Using the training he'd done with his father in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to find the android, he quickly managed to get a lock on him and spun around, only to recoil when he saw Cell- standing a few feet behind him- aim the same index and middle finger he'd used to teleport straight at him, the digits of which were crackling with an orange current of electricity._

_It was a move the demi-Saiyan knew all too well._

_The android grinned at the startled look on the child's face. "DIE!" he roared, before firing a __**Makankosappo**__ (Special Beam Cannon) at his target at pointblank range._

_Barely having enough time to react, Gohan suddenly threw his left hand over his chest and caught the spiral beam that shot out of Cell's fingers against his palm. The impact of the corkscrew cannon knocked the boy off his feet and pushed him back several yards, drilling into his skin and attempting to go through its hardy target. However, through sheer strength and force of will, the child managed to hold off the powerful attack, slamming his feet into the floor and pushing back against the spinning beam of light._

_After a few seconds of holding back the corkscrew of a laser, Gohan then gave a yell of effort and sent a surge of energy into his hand, which caused the spiraling beam to detonate and engulf the area in a blast of orange fire. The sheer force of the eruption rattled the landscape and caused the ground around to rupture for dozens of yards in all directions. _

_Cell watched in satisfaction as the explosion swallowed up his foe, expecting the technique created by Piccolo to have done at least some damage to his target. When the smoke cleared in front of him, it eventually revealed Gohan standing at the foot of two small trenches his feet had dug, with his left hand held firmly in front of his chest, and his palm scorched and bleeding from taking the brunt of the attack. Wincing from the pain, the child gave an irate growl as he glared angrily back at his android foe._

_Snickering as he lowered his arm, Cell then lifted his head and grinned arrogantly down at his obviously ruffled opponent. "Bravo. But you can't use that hand anymore."_

_The moment he finished that sentence, Cell suddenly felt all the air in his lungs get knocked out when Gohan, in the blink of an eye, darted forward and drove his right fist into his stomach- with enough force it not only lifted the android three feet into the air, but also ruptured the floor beneath them._

"_I'm right-handed!" Gohan shouted, his expression twisted into one of fury as he watched Cell's eyes bug out and blood fly from his mouth. The moment he caved in the man's torso, the child then sprang into the air and followed up his body shot with a jumping knee to the android's chin, smashing his head skywards, before then following up with a kick to the android's head._

_Cell, reacting fast, hurriedly blocked the last attack with his arm, knocking it away before quickly responding with a fierce string of punches. From that point, the two warriors began duking it out on that stretch of land- shockwaves quickly beginning to go off around them as their once well-choreographed, high-paced martial arts battle transformed into a bloody slugfest between the two super powers. While Cell held the upper hand in height, reach and overall body weight, Gohan was smaller, shorter, and more agile, and was quick enough to be able to get in close and lay on the abuse._

_The entire scenario quickly devolved into a bloody mashup, very reminiscent of the brawl between Goku and Vegeta in the mountains all those years ago._

_Charging under Cell's jab, Gohan rammed into the warrior's gut with a full-on shoulder tackle, before proceeding to lay into him with multiple body shots and knees. With the android feeling his organs getting hammered, he countered the boy with a downward punch, nailing him across the head and causing him to back off. He then snapped a right kick up at him, only to have the boy catch it under his left arm, lock it up, before then stepping in and slamming his right fist into the man's chest and face repeatedly._

_Taking a couple of hits but then blocking the others, Cell snarled and attempted to counter, only for the boy to slam his hand into his torso, kick his standing leg out from under him, and dump him into the ground with an earth splitting slam. The wind getting knocking out of his lungs, the android was unable to do anything when Gohan suddenly jumped on top of him, slammed his feet into his chest, pinned his collar to the floor with his left arm, and proceeded to wail on him with repeated punches from his right hand._

_Gohan screamed out with every hit, hammering and punching the android's face over and over again in a full blown rage while he struggled to block his blows. Several hits managed to snake through Cell's arms, crushing his nose and cheek repeatedly, and nearly causing the android to black out. Eventually, after receiving several clean hits that were enough to rattle his brain, the stunned and angry android shouted._

"_ENOUGH!" He then fired off a ki blast from his mouth- golden energy spewing out of his throat like a geyser and engulfing the child's upper body in a wave of blinding heat._

_Blocking out most of the column of energy with his wounded left hand, Gohan was effectively thrown off of the prone Cell and sent flying across the desert for a dozen yards. Skidding to a stop on his heels a couple seconds later, the child huffed furiously as electricity sparked from his body. When he saw the android scramble to his feet, the demi-Saiyan gave a yell and powered up, his aura exploding around him in a storm, before he rocketed towards Cell at blazing speed._

_The android responded to his opponent's approach by powering up as well, a battle cry leaving his lips when he opened up on his approaching opponent with a right haymaker. His fist slammed into Gohan's face, but instead of knocking him back like it was supposed to, the child pressed his face against the fist burying into his forehead with a snarl and pushed right through it, stunning the android._

'_He's not stopping?!' the android balked, before reflexively blocking the right hook that slammed into him a split second later. 'How?! Where… where is all of this power coming from?!' Out of pure reflex, Cell threw a kick at the child in an attempt to stop him and smack him out of the air._

_Blocking the attack with his left arm, Gohan then knocked the android's leg aside and leapt at him. "Come on! Is that all you've got!" He then hit at him with a right punch, watching his opponent parry it, before then drawing back his mangled left hand. Taking aim, the child then gave a loud battle cry, while simultaneously thrusting said limb forward in a palm strike._

_Cell balked when he saw the attack flying towards him. 'Wait! He's not going to hit me with that wounded left hand?! That's just-' His moment of confusion was all that Gohan needed. Through effective use of a feint, the demi-Saiyan tucked in his left hand and, instead of hitting him with a palm strike, nailed the android across the face with his elbow. The surprise blow drove into the warrior's face with a loud __**crack**__, sending blood flying from his lips and also opening a cut over his right eye. This caused Cell to stagger to the side in shock. "Gah! You little retch!"_

_Pressing his advantage, Gohan leapt in and smashed Cell across the face a second time with a right hook, and again. Receiving the two hits, the stricken android quickly recovered and swung back with another haymaker that smashed the young Saiyan's head to the side. Despite the sheer volume and force of the blow, much to the android's shock, his attack didn't do any damage._

_Looking back, the boy showed Cell the fury burning in his gaze and the ferocious sneer engraved on his face. "Come on! Hit me harder! What? Is that all you got, Cell!" The child then retaliated with a left kick to the android's abdomen, which Cell barely checked and countered with a left hook. Hitting the kid again in the face again, but not fazing him one bit, the increasingly riled up demi-Saiyan spat and responded with a series of consecutive right jabs to the android's face, hitting him clean all three times before then blocking the uppercut the android threw as a counter. "What? Is that it?! Huh?!" Gohan screamed, smacking Cell's arm out of the way. After which he then grabbed the man by the crown with his bloodied left hand, and rammed his right fist into his surprised face. "RAAGH! Come on! Attack me!"_

_The blow struck with the force of a freight train, knocking Cell stumbling away in a daze. Gasping in shock, the android thrust his hand forward and instinctively launched a blast at Gohan when the child rushed in at him again. Much to his dismay, the android saw the hybrid smack the blast out of the way and fly at him with his right fist cocked back. The android of course blocked his charging blow and countered with a jab, only for the boy to dodge it and retaliate with a hook that nailed him across the jaw._

"_Come on! Again! Again! Isn't this what you wanted?!" Gohan roared, raising his right arm and blocking the wild kick Cell threw at him. Knocking his leg away, the boy responded with a right body shot and right hook to the warrior's face- the impact knocking a cloud of blood and spit into the air. "Come on! The whole world is watching, Cell! Come on! Attack me!"_

_The android, growing increasingly tired, disoriented and winded from receiving so many hits and having his attacks continuously being brushed off by his opponent, could only shake his head in terror as the child kept coming for him. And he didn't show any signs of slowing down. 'The kid's snapped! H-He's gone insane!' Clenching his teeth, the android gave a desperate cry of rage and thrust his right hand forward, extending his index and middle finger, and firing a Death Beam right at Gohan at pointblank range. "GRAAAGH! TAKE THAT!"_

_Side-stepping the death beam, the angry half-Saiyan then dashed in, grabbed Cell's extended fingers, and snapped them so that they were pointing backwards. The sickening sound of bones crunching was followed by the android giving a out a loud scream of pain, his legs buckling as the hybrid suddenly leapt at him and struck him across the face with yet another left elbow. The loud crack of his blow silenced the android as he was effectively knocked stumbling to the side, clutching his broken fingers._

"_Come on, Cell! Hit me harder! DO IT!" Gohan roared as he jumped at the android and smashed him across the jaw with a flying side-kick, sending him flying off his feet and skidding across the desert._

_Stopping himself, a desperate and thoroughly bludgeoned Cell snarled and rushed at Gohan with one last, ditch assault. His fists swung out at the kid from multiple directions at an incredible speed. Due to his exhaustion though, his agility had dulled somewhat, allowing the child to casually step back and dodge his flurry of blows. While the android managed to hit the boy a couple of times across his guard, the child came swinging back with various right jabs and knees- returning two blows for every one of Cell's._

_It soon became a back-and-forth, ferocious exchange, as the weakened and battered android desperately tried to lay in the hardest blows he could against the unstoppable, enraged demi-Saiyan, while Gohan returned every one of his shots with a flurry of right jabs and kicks. After the two fighters traded blows for a full minute, the tired Cell yelled and lunged in, his arms snapping around the hybrid and locking him up in exactly the same bear hug that Gohan had been trapped in before Android 16 jumped in to save him._

_Blood pouring from his nose and mouth from the repeated blows he'd received, the angry Cell growled down at Gohan, who snarled back at him furiously. "I'm putting an end to this farce once and for all! You miserable-GOUF!" Before the android could finish his threat, the demi-Saiyan threw back his right leg and nailed the android square in the crotch with a piercing knee, causing his grip to loosen around his body and allowing the boy to slam a foot into one of his legs. Using Cell's thigh as leverage, Gohan leapt up and hit the man in the face with a well-placed head-butt._

_With his opponent dazed, Gohan- powering up and setting his aura to full- charged in one last time, hitting Cell across the face with a right hook, and another, and another! When Cell raised his arms to defend himself, the demi-Saiyan proceeded to pummel the warrior's body with repetitive left and right body hooks. Though his left hand was absolutely wrecked from the damage it'd received from the Special Beam Cannon, the child ignored the pain and used it anyway, slamming his bruised knuckles over and over again into the android's body._

_Then, after laying on the punishment to his ribs, the child then began unleashing a flurry of unrelenting punches towards Cell's face, lashing out at him with such ferocity and from so many angles that Cell was unable to block all of his attacks. "YAH-YAH-YAH-YAH-HAH-RAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!" Not even caring how he was looking as he poured on the abuse, Gohan shouted and yelled out with every hit, gradually increasing his speed until his fists looked like they had multiplied in the air as they flew at Cell's face and body in rapid fire- seemingly all at once._

_As shockwaves rang out around the android from the multiple, lightning fast attacks impacting him, Gohan kept on pushing- attacking and attacking with such conviction and drive that he was literally beating the ever-living shit out of his opponent. After a full minute of laying on the abuse, the hybrid pulled back his right fist, clenched it tight, and- with one mighty roar- drove it straight into Cell's surprised face._

_The sound of a cannon going off echoed across the valley, the floor beneath the two warriors caving into a crater as Gohan sent Cell's flying back with that hit. Blood trailing from his crushed nose, the android could only give a strained gasp before his feet unconsciously touched down on the ground outside of the fissure and he skidded to a stop. Once his momentum ceased, the warrior fell forward, collapsing onto his knees and drawing in a deep gulp of air. His lungs at this point were so filled with fluid that after several attempts at breathing, blood came spewing up from his mouth._

"_Ack… kraaggh… gaaaaah…" Cell gasped, completely at a loss for words as he felt himself slip in and out of consciousness. "This… This… isn't right. I-I'm… supposed to be… perfect!" Body trembling and one of his eyes swollen shut, the heavily damaged android shakily looked up._

_When his eyes landed on the crater formed by his opponent following his last hit, he saw Gohan standing there- his body completely straight, his aura blazing around him, and an intense glare fixed squarely on him. Upon seeing the same monster that'd terrified him back during their first battle, the stunned Cell took a few deep, panicked breaths, before a renewed surge of rage flooded through his body._

_Eye trembling and bloodied teeth clenching, the stricken android slowly and shakily forced himself to his feet. "H-How… dare you!" Electricity sparking, the green, spotted android threw his arms forward, cupped his hands together, and then swung them back. "HOW… DAAAAAARE YOOOOOOUUUUUUUUU!" With his yell of rage, his golden aura then erupted around him, exploding outwards to such a size and with such force that it not only parted the clouds above him, but also caused a cyclone of dust to kick up around him._

_The winds howled and skies quaked as Cell began gathering all of the energy he had left into one, final, decisive attack, his golden cloak blazing with a wild frenzy while his lightning field crackled around him in an unrelenting storm. Due to the sheer amount of raw power he was now generating and collecting, the Z-fighters watching from the sidelines felt their jaws drop in awe, as all of them felt the power equivalent to a star gathering before them._

"_Holy cow!" Krillin shouted, gaping through the hot winds tearing across the landscape towards them as he remained on the ground with Eighteen held protectively in his arms. "Do you guys feel that?!"_

"_That freak," Tien spoke, his own eyes wide in disbelief as he felt the atmosphere shiver around them. "Does he even know what he's doing?!"_

"_He's… gathered enough energy to wipe the entire solar system from existence!" Yamcha remarked, completely astonished that such a feat was even remotely possible._

_While Vegeta remained completely silent, unable to tear his eyes away from the epic battle that'd already taken place, Piccolo stood where he was, keeping his hands clenched at his sides, while his gaze remained fixed on the spot where he could sense Gohan was standing. Sensing the boy was not worried or scared in the least, the former guardian of Earth nodded affirmatively toward his student._

"_You can do it, kid," the Namekian whispered, his expression remaining completely firm and unwavering._

_As Gohan stood there, feeling the wind from Cell's aura blasting him in the face as his energy went through the roof, the young Saiyan then closed his eyes for a moment as he focused. Gathering his own ki, the boy's aura also intensified- chains of lightning running up and down his body, while his golden cloak erupted outwards and formed its own cyclone around him. With a deep, steady breath, the demi-Saiyan prepared his own final attack- his right fist clenching tightly while his left hand hung limply at his side, dripping blood._

_It was then, as he was standing there and listening to the howling winds blasting around him, the youngster suddenly heard a familiar voice echo through his head._

"_**Show him, Gohan. Let him see your true power."**_

_Eyes blinking open, the demi-Saiyan gave a surprised look towards the sky when he recognized that voice right away. "D-Dad?" Staring up towards the clouds for several moments, the bewildered Gohan then felt a sense of comfort and assurance flood through him, which dampened the pain in his body and brought a warm smile to his face._

_Knowing that his father was watching him from afar, from the place where he'd gone before, Gohan knew right away that everything was going to be alright. So, with a big smile on his face and a new glow of confidence in his eyes, the Super Saiyan hybrid took a deep breath and focused._

_At that exact moment, Cell- having spent the last few seconds gathering all the energy he needed- clenched his hands around the pulsing ball of blue ki vibrating between his palms, and threw it forward. "YOOOUUUU'RE FINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISHED!" the android bellowed, thrusting his hands out and unleashing his attack. With a roar of wind and a sonic boom, a colossal blue beam of energy gushed out of his hands and streaked across the desert- tearing a massive trench through the earth as it barreled towards his half-Saiyan foe._

_By this point however, Gohan was ready._

"_**Kaaaaaaaaaa… meeeeeeeeeeeee…."**__ Stepping forward and leaning in, the demi-Saiyan swung his right arm back- his fist clenched tightly and his aura burning even more brightly than ever before. The rays he generated were so intense it was almost like he'd become a second sun. __**"…haaaaa… meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…." **__With his limb loaded and the spirit of his father right beside him, Gohan mimicked the movements he and his dad had practiced countless times before. With a firm stare, a decisive step-in, and a mighty howl, the child threw his still functioning right hand forward and launched his attack._

"_**HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**_ _Gohan's scream was matched by the roar of his attack exploding from his palm, his own blast erupting from his palm with such force, the kickback from the sonic boom it generated actually pushed him back several feet along the ground._

_The blue column of energy he unleashed instantly filled the air space in front of him, its mass roaring across the desert and melting the ground beneath it from the heat it generated. So much energy left Gohan's hand all at once that his attack not only collided with Cell's and overwhelmed it in an instant, but it continued to charge towards the android without losing any speed or power. It was almost like a tidal wave crashing through a tiny stream flowing in the opposite direction, making it seem like the blast fired by the genetically created monster wasn't even there._

_While the android continued to feed power into his attack, the enraged and battered warrior's eyes widened in horror when he saw the tsunami of blue energy barreling towards him fill up the entire sky in front of him. His head craning upwards as the rapidly approaching energy wave grew in size, unleashing torrents of wind and lightning along the way, Cell could only drop his jaw and stutter fearfully as the years of his incredibly short life flashed in front of him._

"_This… can't…" Cell gasped, sweat trickling down his face one last time, before the wall of raging blue fire collided with him and swallowed him up. "…be… HAPPENIIIIIIIING!" The moment he was overwhelmed by the gargantuan blast, the android's body was sent hurtling down a tunnel of cosmic fire, which tore away at his form and started to incinerate him in a matter of milliseconds. As his arms, legs and torso crumbled into ash, the last conscious thought that crossed the warrior's mind was how a mere child was able to defeat him, screaming out in agony before his head exploded._

_Tumbling through the flames and embers, the nucleus that initially saved the android from the brink of death, ruptured under the tempest of intense heat, before being disintegrated into nothing. With it gone, so was Cell's last hope of survival._

_And so, with his foe vanquished, Gohan's final __**Kamehameha**__ roared across the landscape and up into space, where the massive beam traveled for several hundred miles, before eventually disappearing when the energy behind it faded. This left not only a massive hole in the clouds above the planet, but also an utterly ruined valley._

_Standing at the very beginning of a massive, smoldering canyon stretching over twenty miles in length and two hundred meters across, a battle worn and bruised Gohan stood. His right hand still extended and aura blazing fiercely around him, the intense looking preteen then slowly lowered his arm and returned to a normal standing position. When he did, the golden flames and blue lightning previously crackling around him dissipated- his spiky hair falling and returning to its original, night black color._

_The moment he reverted to his base form, Gohan remained standing in place for several moments, until a rather stupid smile crossed his face and he keeled over. Dropping onto his back with a dull thud, the demi-Saiyan then lay sprawled out on the desert floor, taking in deep gulps of sweet, clear air._

_As the sky cleared and the sun beat down on him with its warm rays of light, the young hero of earth felt a sense of closure and satisfaction flood through him, which only victory over a terrible foe could ever bring. It helped to put a grin over the exhausted child's face, as with a grunt and final show of his remaining strength, the boy raised his right hand and gave a thumbs-up towards the sky._

"_Dad…" Gohan rasped through deep, heavy breaths of air, "I did it."_

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

_**Author's Note: **_With this chapter, I wanted to answer the biggest question that's probably been on all the minds of those who remember this epic moment: who would win between SSJ2 Gohan and Super Perfect Cell? What would've happened if Vegeta didn't go full ham and decided to fuck shit up for Gohan?

In looking back through the manga chapter of this scene (the source material) and analyzing the battle between Gohan and Cell up until this point, I came to the conclusion that while it would've been a close fight, I think Gohan still could've taken Cell to town and beaten his arrogant ass down a few pegs. Though Cell had gotten stronger, when looking at Vegeta's charge on him, the final clash between Gohan and Cell, and Gohan instantly overwhelming his blast with one last push (as opposed to the filler crammed into the fight in the anime adapation), I still feel Gohan edged him out without a problem. This idea also comes from when I (and many others) played through the original Budokai game, where the story mode and cutscenes in that game were the most faithful to the manga than any other since. That final battle between Gohan and Super Perfect Cell showed Gohan still had an edge over the android- even though it was made exclusively as the final battle in the game, and I've believed that had an actual fight taken place, it would've gone down something like that.

Truthfully, I think we were all robbed of the chance to see Gohan and Cell duke it out one final time. Though granted we got an epic beam struggle between them, I feel a fistfight would've been much more satisfying, seeing both opponents lay everything out on the table, before finishing it with the climactic energy attack.

Thus, I created a short 'what if' scenario between them, which makes up the prologue to my new version of my fanfic **Dragonball Z: Golden Age**.

If you noticed, I borrowed a few scenes from the oldest game, the newest game, the manga, the DBZ multiverse fan manga, and spliced them all here into one, cohesive fic, detailing the final battle between Gohan and Cell.


	2. Bojack Saga - A Strange Tournament

**Author's Note:** Okay. So here is how it's going to work from now on.

For new readers to this fic if they managed to get through the prologue and enjoyed it, the following arc involving Bojack's gang attacking the Intergalactic Tournament is going to remain relatively unchanged from the original version from the story. So for all those old fans who read the first version, don't be surprised if you see this arc copied and pasted onto this one, because I really thought how I played out the original arc was the best version. I think I might make one or two changes to the main battles though- we'll see.

However, when I reach the end of this arc, I'm going to go straight to the Majin Buu Saga- but in a way that changes the main timeline.

Now, as much as I love Gohan and Videl and want to keep them canon in this fic, I'm actually thinking of making this story with a different romance/pairing, which is why I'm keeping the character pairing slots empty. I already have people tossing up votes for **Android 18** and **Zangya**, and honestly I would love to have Gohan get together with one of them (or both).

Depending on what people vote, I'll make _something_ happen. It's a world of infinite possibilities.

It's all going to be how I play out the relationships. Let me know what you guys think.

* * *

**Dragonball Z**

_**Golden Age**_

_A Strange Tournament_

(A couple months later)

It was early morning and, as the sun started to rise over the distant mountains, the entire area of Mount Paozu was woken by a sudden and violent explosion. Smoke and flames billowed into the sky as what looked like an entire mountain sank into the ground, becoming swallowed up by the land and trees. Moments later, a series of golden flashes filled the air, followed by the terrifying sound of multiple shock waves going off one after the other in rapid succession. One of these sonic bursts was so powerful that the force from it disintegrated an entire area of forest and the ground beneath it, punching a three hundred meter wide crater into the earth.

The cause of this anomaly quickly revealed itself as a boy of eleven years old, clad in an orange and blue gi, with fiery blonde hair and green eyes, materialized into view above a large valley several miles away from the plume caused by the imploding edifice. Suspending himself several stories above the countryside, the glowing child unleashed a ferocious string of attacks, his fists and legs cutting through the air like bullets, before his form darted to the floor in a blur.

Touching down beside an enormous lake, the young boy gave a loud yell and thrust his right fist across the water, generating a deafening thunderclap as a sonic blast ripped over the mere, sending waves crashing into the forest on the other side while a hurricane gale had the entire area of woodland bending over like blades of grass. Before the winds from his attack had a chance to settle, the blonde boy spun around and thrust a sharp elbow in the opposite direction, causing another loud bang as a shockwave leveled an entire line of trees and took a chunk out of a rocky plateau hundreds of meters away.

Gritting his teeth as his eyes burned with fury, the young Super Saiyan clenched his fists and, letting out a mighty bellow of rage, powered up to his absolute maximum. His golden aura tore up the ground beneath him like confetti, the discharge of energy sending currents of blue lightning bolting across the field and tearing through the ground. In that instant, the boy's previously tame blonde hair extended and spiked upwards, leaving a single bang waving over his forehead as he ascended to the second level.

With his aura twisting around his body like a raging fire, causing the Earth itself to shake violently, the boy then thrust both hands upwards and, with a deafening roar, unleashed a massive golden blast into the heavens. His attack erupted from his palms with a violent blast and shot through the atmosphere, parting the clouds and swallowing up the sky. The attack was so impossibly large it could've easily burned a hole through several planets.

When the blast eventually dissipated and the light being produced by the column faded away, back down on the planet where the attack had originated from, standing in a cloud of settling dust and smoke, stood the young man responsible for the spectacular light show. The source was none other than Son Gohan.

Surrounded by the fluctuating aura and electric bio-field of his Ascended Saiyan form, the child lowered his hands from the sky and exhaled, before setting himself into a new fighting stance. What followed from that point once calm was finally restored to the region was a slow and elegant display of outstanding martial prowess, as the teen started shifting through a series of taijiquan movements, while his energy continued to flicker around him in a controlled state.

For the next several minutes he practiced his breathing and technique, getting used to the feel of ki rushing through him before then switching to a new style. Every once in a while his body would twitch and his aura would spark a little, but with a few deep breaths and several seconds of pause, he was able to dial it back to a reduced state.

Eventually his shadow sparring and self-guided session came to an end and the young Super Saiyan 2 took to standing in the middle of the field, looking out over the lush, sweeping valleys and forests. From there he saw the damage that'd been brought to the mountain region and, as the sights and sounds of the environment slowly returned to the vicinity, a heavy sigh escaped his lips.

"I should really think about training someplace else…" Gohan thought, realizing that going all out in Super Saiyan- especially his second form- in this place was obviously a real hazard. There was the high chance that his training was upsetting the local wild life and putting them in harm's way, which was something he wanted to try and avoid at all costs.

After a moment of surveying his space, the young Ascended Saiyan quietly returned to practicing his fighting forms, gently sifting across the grass as his arms and legs flowed through one stance after the other. At the same time, the adolescent warrior couldn't help but think back to the fateful conversation that led him to his current situation, one that had happened about four weeks ago.

Needless to say, it wasn't a pleasant encounter…

OOO

**Flashback**

"_You want to what?!" Chi-Chi's scream filled the room, her face reflecting a clear sign of disbelief as her eyes fixed squarely on her son, who she could see standing in the middle of the kitchen with his hands at his sides and a resolute look in play._

_Taking a deep breath, the young man in the white button-up top and black pants braced himself for the storm to come. "I don't want to just keep studying anymore, mum. I want to keep training with Mr. Piccolo and the others."_

_Dish towel in hand, the raven haired woman's stunned visage quickly transformed into one of outrage, as the words her son spoke finally hit home. "Is this some kind of joke? Tell me you're joking!"_

_Gohan shook his head firmly, "No. It's not. I'm one-hundred percent serious."_

"_Oh really?" His answer had Chi-Chi grit her teeth and stomp forward, "And what makes you think I'm going to let my only son go off and do something like that? Huh? Not only is it reckless and dangerous, but it's also a pointless waste of your time! Time that is better spent on your studies." She then pointed at him and towards another part of the house, "I spent the last eight years of my life and a fortune buying you text books, study tapes and the latest in self-guided teaching and learning equipment, so that you could get a good education and make something of yourself someday! I didn't spend those years raising you just to watch you throw it all away to become a thug!"_

"_I'm not going to become a thug, mum," Gohan retorted, his eyes narrowing irritably. "I'm going to become a strong fighter, just like my dad."_

"_And what do you expect to accomplish as a fighter, huh?" Chi-Chi asked, placing her hands on her hips as she glared down at her boy questioningly. "All your father ever did with his education was train, hunt animals, and farm. But what else was he able to do? __**Nothing**__! This family has spent the last ten years living off of his prize money and welfare. That's not even counting the little he and your grandfather were able to bring in every fortnight just to pay the bills. We've been scraping by with whatever we were able to earn and none of his martial arts training ever helped him to get a good job."_

_From that point Chi-Chi began arguing with her son about the merits of a good education and where it could take him in life. The topics came spewing out of her mouth in non-stop waves as if she'd rehearsed every single one of them, about how his intellect could help change the world, feed the hungry, solve life's biggest problems, provide for his future family, and so on and so forth. She even had the guts to tell him that because of all his fooling around with his father and friends that he was falling behind in his work, and that the whole Cell debacle had set him back even more._

_It was then after listening to the woman drawl on for about half an hour about what was best for him, Gohan had clenched his fists so tight that his fingernails were cutting into his palms and drawing blood._

"_I want you to do better than what your father and I were able to do," Chi-Chi concluded, a hard look on her face as she stared down her quiet and obedient son. "All of the money we were able to save up over the years was to help you with your future to become a scholar. There should be no arguing beyond that point."_

_It was then Gohan mumbled through his teeth in a low and disgruntled tone of voice, "Maybe that's not what I want to do with my life."_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Mum, tell me… were you happy with your life?" His question caught Chi-Chi off guard and had her look at him in surprise, as her son then looked at her with a glare. "Even though you didn't have much, did marrying dad and having a family with him make you happy?"_

_Not knowing where Gohan was going with this, Chi-Chi nodded her head slowly, "Y-Yes. Of course. Moving into this house, marrying your father, and having you was what I'd always dreamed of, ever since I was a little girl." She said this while her expression slowly became calm. "Even though our family fell on hard times and we didn't get to spend many days together after the Saiyans showed up, I couldn't have been happier."_

_It was then Gohan pressed on his attack. "Well… have you ever stopped to think that maybe studying day-in and day-out, and getting blood blisters on my back just to end up in some boring, office job is something that I don't want to do. That maybe I'd like to have a chance to do something different with my time… something that I actually __**want**__ to do." His expression then became firmer and firmer the further he went. "Ever since I was able to walk and talk, you've always been there to tell me what I should and shouldn't do. That fighting and having an active lifestyle outside of the house was bad, and that studying and reading would help me to become successful. Everything I've done to this day has been done by __**your**__ design. Hell, when I was only four years old, you told me that becoming an orthopedist would be a good profession for me… and I had no idea what the hell that even was!" He then threw his arms out in disbelief, "I mean, for crying out loud, mum, I've studied so much in the last eight years that I can literally do university level arithmetic with my left hand, write a fifty five page report on Ken Wilson's Quantum Fields and point out all of his flaws with my right hand, and recite the quantum chromodynamic gauge invariant lagrangian in my sleep!"_

_Shutting her mouth, the mother took in her son's outburst as he stood there, staring at her with an incredulous look on his face and anger in his eyes._

_Gohan then jabbed a finger towards another part of the house, "Most of my childhood has been spent cooped up in that room. I've even started writing a thesis on Singular Symmetric Hyperbolic Systems and Cosmological Solutions to the Einstein and Fulcrum Equations. I can get a doctorate two times over and I'm not even in fifth grade yet! Yet I'm still studying! So what more do I have to do?!" He then dropped his hand and began jamming his finger into his palm. "Even after all these years, I haven't had any time to go out, I haven't made any friends or met any people my own age, the only people I've ever socialized with has been Piccolo, Krillin and the others, and I haven't even taken the time to travel to other cities, much less other countries. I mean… how am I expected to function in the world if I don't know anything about living in it?"_

_Looking down shamefacedly at the outraged look on her son's face, Chi-Chi then looked up at him sadly. "B-But-"_

"_But what?"_

"_Wasn't becoming a scholar… your dream?"_

"_No. That was __**your**__ dream for __**me**__; the one you've been constantly beating me over the head with for the last eleven years of my life- both with words and with a cane. It was only until recently that I realized this," Gohan said, dropping his hands and giving his mother a hard stare. When he saw she was still looking away unable to form a response to his rant, the boy then did something he knew would get his message across and, clenching his fists tightly, produced his golden aura around him with a clap. Hair flashing blonde, he gave his mother a full glimpse of his Super Saiyan form, his expression radiating with intensity. "This is who I am, mum. I'm not just your son… I'm my father's son too. If I was to completely reject that aspect of myself, not only would I be treading on dad's memory and his lineage, I would also be denying a part of myself… and that's not something I'm willing to do."_

_After staring at the ethereal form of her son for several moments in awe, Chi-Chi then saw the teen's aura fade. However, instead of going back to his base form, Gohan simply powered down to his controlled Super Saiyan state, his expression softening and taking on his normal kind exterior, as if the fact that he was transformed completely went over his head._

"_I have the power to change the world and protect it from the people who want to destroy it. If I train and become strong enough, I'll not only be able to save our future, but the futures of billions more to come. My father and everybody else saw it… and now I can see it too." He then shook his head at his mother. "When I fought Cell, dad sacrificed himself because of the mistakes I made on that day… and my friends suffered because of my weaknesses. If something like that were to happen again, I want to be prepared to face it. That's why I'm not going to waste my gifts sitting in a room writing essays and reading books anymore. From now on, I want to live my life, __**my**__ way… just like dad always wanted."_

_Hearing her son's statements and determination had Chi-Chi stop for a moment, as she leaned back against the kitchen counter and looked down at the floor. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts and recover from the bombardment, the raven haired mother then looked up at her child. When she did, she saw the silhouette of her husband standing directly behind Gohan's shoulder, wearing the same look of vigilance she knew he wore when confronted with adversity. It was an expression that swayed her more than she cared to admit and, after seeing her beloved husband reflected in her son's stance and spirit, couldn't help but let a small smile creep into view._

"_You really are as stubborn as he was," the woman said, drawing a broad grin from the young Saiyan._

_Gohan chuckled and scratched his head sheepishly, "Krillin and Bulma told me the same thing."_

_Chi-Chi's expression then turned apprehensive once again, "Are you sure this is what you want? Giving up your education to train?"_

_Allowing the woman a brisk nod, the half-Saiyan then clenched his fists and held them up, "Yes. I'm positive that this is what I want." He then shared with his mother a reassuring look. "Don't worry. I'll keep studying a little bit every day so that I can keep up my skills. But I'll do it on my own terms." After which he then jabbed a thumb into his chest. "I also want to hang out with the others and go out to see the rest of the world… and see what it's actually like."_

_This aspect of his proviso certainly helped cheer Chi-Chi up, who then stood off of the counter and firmly placed her hands on her hips. "Alright, son. If this is how you want it… then I'm not going to stop you. But I just have one condition." Her frown then returned a few moments later as she held a finger up to her now blonde son. "I want you to go to a good school and college one day to get your PhD, in case your plan to follow in your father's footsteps doesn't pan out. Do you promise me you will do that at least?"_

_Gohan nodded affirmatively, "Yes, mum. I promise."_

"_Good." She then breathed a heavy sigh and dropped her arm. "Even though this is something you want to do, it doesn't mean I have to like it. I hate the idea of you fighting."_

"_I know," Gohan chirped before grinning broadly, "But I am part Saiyan… and honestly, after everything that's happened so far, I think I'm starting to enjoy it." It was a part that'd been rubbing off of him ever since he'd spent time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with his dad, a trait that was later exemplified in the days following his fight with Cell. He wondered whether this was because his body was going through some sort of chemical response to unlocking his new level of Super Saiyan. It certainly wouldn't have surprised him in the least._

_Shaking her head, Chi-Chi then waved for her son to head off, "Well then, Mr. Hero. Go on and get your room tidied up and come back to help me with the chores. I've got a lot of work that needs to get done before I let you off on your own."_

_And that's exactly what Gohan did, turning and rushing back into his room with a spring in his step, a smile on his face, and a renewed sense of purpose burning in his chest…_

**End Flashback**

OOO

And that's how that confrontation ended and now the young Saiyan found himself here.

Even though the Cell Games were over and done with and the world was now at peace, Gohan knew that the days of fighting wouldn't be over. Considering one of the biggest dangers their group had ever faced had come from their own backyard, right here on this planet, there was a good chance that there were threats even greater than the androids lurking about out there in the universe.

With his father gone, leaving a big gap in his life that he wanted to fill, the role of protector of the Earth had fallen in Gohan's hands and the young Saiyan was determined to see this task through to the end. Since he no longer had his dad's guiding hand and will to aid him, all he had left to follow was his memory and instincts. So far he'd been doing really well for himself.

It'd pretty much been the same routine Gohan had been following for the past month: get up at four o'clock, train for four hours, have breakfast with his mum, study for three hours, have lunch, do chores for a couple more, and then train for the last four hours in the afternoon, before having dinner and going to bed. He stuck to this timetable like a machine, drilling himself at every stage and setting himself a new objective at each turning point, while in-keeping with his father's philosophies and ideals. Every once in a while he would leave some time to rest, recuperate, and meditate, being sure to hit all areas of his martial arts training for a more holistic and refined approach. He even left one or two days to go hang out with his father's friends.

His session right now was a perfect example of his training method. After doing a hard power session in the higher tiers of his Super Saiyan states, he was ready to calm down with a solid hour of technique work. If he didn't keep his skills and form sharp, then his entire fighting style would fall apart, which was why he placed so much value on the training both his father and first mentor Piccolo had taught him.

Maintaining his Ascended Saiyan form in a controlled state, just as he did his first Super Saiyan form, the hybrid began going through the motions- practicing his kung fu steps and katas with superb grace and precision. His boots scraped along the ground as he alternated between the forms of taichiquan, hung ga kuen and changquan, his arms and legs cutting through the air like blades.

Several minutes in, Gohan's hand thrust towards a nearby oak, generating a wind that ripped several leaves from the branches. As they floated down, the Saiyan used his limb movements to generate a small stream of wind to guide the foliage towards him. When the leaves began cascading around him, the Saiyan changed styles and began practicing Wing Chun between the leaves, keeping them afloat while dancing between them, not even letting a single one of them touch him or the ground. A while later, the boy finished his exercise with a quick thrust of his palms towards the lake, his blow generating a gentle gust that caused a ripple across the tide's surface, which then gently guided the leaves towards the pond.

As soon as the foliage had been deposited on the lake, Gohan took a deep breath and exhaled; his body relaxing despite his Ascended Saiyan level. With the atmosphere settling around him, the teen then slipped out of his stance and glanced over his shoulder, as he sensed that he had a spectator.

Standing on another nearby hill, the imposing form of Gohan's longtime mentor Piccolo was watching his student with his arms folded and his cape billowing behind him.

Noticing his student's attention on him, the Namekian smirked. "Not bad. Your control over your new form has improved a lot over the last two weeks."

Gohan's face visibly brightened at the sight of his friend. "Mr. Piccolo." Dropping back to his first form of Super Saiyan, his hair flattening out and his previously harsh expression softening, the teen turned and walked over to his old master. "Hey. What's up?"

"Nothing. It's just that while you were training your power level spiked so much it felt like you were going to split the planet in half," the Namekian answered, expression and stance remaining calm and unchanged. "I got worried and came to check on you."

The child cringed and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "Yeah. Sorry about that. I might have gotten a little bit carried away back there."

"Hmph. It's alright. Though you certainly gave Dende and Mr. Popo a scare," the Namekian commented, a small smile appearing on his face. "I'm glad to see you're taking your training seriously. Do you plan on staying Super Saiyan for a lot longer this time?"

"Uh-huh," Gohan nodded, bringing his hands up to look down at them. "It took me a few weeks, but I'm finally able to transform to the second level without any problems at all. I'm even starting to learn how to control the amount of strength I use in it." He then grinned up at his teacher. "Next week I'll start training to retain the form for longer than a few hours."

"Good," Piccolo replied with a beaming look in his eye, "Take it one step at a time. Don't push yourself. The more power you have at your disposal, the easier it is for it to get out of control. So take it slow and at your own pace." When he saw his student nod, the Namekian stepped forward and placed a hand on his head, rubbing it reassuringly. "I'm sure your father would be proud of you."

Grinning, the demi-Saiyan then nodded up at his friend. "I see you've been training a lot as well, Piccolo. You ready for the tournament today?" It was an event that'd been on his mind for a couple weeks now. In celebration of Cell's defeat, a man of great prominence and wealth had announced to the world that he would be hosting a large event, promising great honor and glory to the people who stepped up to face the one who saved them from the mighty terror.

Apparently a lot of the Z-fighters were looking forward to this day too and had been training to face off against one another in the coming fair.

"As ready as I'll ever be," the Namekian stated, his expression returning to its normal, stoic visage. "Though I'm not expecting much from the rest of the contestants, I'm sure you and Trunks will be able to give me a good fight."

"That's if we end up fighting in the same block," Gohan said, his green eyes shimmering with excitement as he brought his fist up and slammed it into his open palm. "I heard the _World Martial Arts Tournament _helped hone my father's skills. Perhaps this intergalactic version will do the same for me."

"Well, we'll soon find out, won't we," Piccolo remarked, turning about with a swish of his cape. "Come on. Your mother's waiting for us."

"Right," Gohan answered, falling in step with his teacher before the two of them kicked off the ground and took off, their flight marked by a loud whoosh of a jet as they effortlessly broke the sound barrier, heading back towards the Son Residence situated several miles away.

OOO

(A few hours later)

(Many miles away)

In the mobile box viewing room overlooking the primary staging area of what would most likely go down in history as the largest fighting competition in years, the _Intergalactic Martial Arts Tournament_, the atmosphere had become choked with a sense of apprehension and excitement. The first was because of the sheer intensity in the air, as everyone present was getting ready for the big off, while the second was in anticipation of the performances to come. Overall it was a very mixed bag of emotions, which promised to erupt in a series of cheers and festivities.

Sitting by the window in front of a large buffet table, world famous billionaire and entrepreneur X.S Cash, his wife Lotta, and his son Monty, were all sharing a jovial conference with the one and only Hercule Satan, the undisputed, strongest man in the world, along with a handful of reporters hired to cover the events of the day. As cameras flashed left and right and the audience of writers clamored for attention, the people with microphones were bombarding the family with endless questions and inquiries, with a majority of them being focused on the Champ.

"Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan! Over here!"

"Are you looking forward to the matches today, sir?"

"What are the Champ's thoughts on the competition?"

"Are you expecting to meet any of your former rivals during the day's proceedings?" And so on…

As if he'd practiced this a thousand times over, Hercule answered each and every one of them with his hearty laugh and signature booming voice, telling them all how he was honored to be overseeing such a prestigious event and that he was looking forward to what kind of 'rookies' and 'potential challengers' would be gunning for him in the finals. Of course he made his responses as colorful and inflated as he possibly could, always being sure to redirect the topic towards his greatness, while at the same time never breaking the mould of confidence he'd cemented over the entire course of his career.

"Mr. Satan. Charlotte O'Brien: _Five O'Clock News_, East City. Do you feel like you will meet someone who will pose a challenge to you in this tournament?" the woman reporter at the front asked, her brown hair, pink eyes and striking purple suit and skirt standing out above the black ties of male inquirers formed up behind her as she stuck her mic into the man's face.

"Well, I don't know about any challenges, but seeing as how I am a sportsman and a gentleman of unshakable honor, I'll be sure to give them and the people something to remember me by!" Hercule boomed back, sticking his chest out before throwing out yet another one of his forced laughs. As usual the press ate it up, the flashing of their cameras intensifying in their attempt to capture and immortalize this moment.

Monty, his beaming smile and bright eyes fixing upon the Champ through his round glasses, attempted to mimic the man in his display, laughing with his head reared back. This earned him a firm pat on the back from Hercule, who also raised his fist in the air for good measure. "Mr. Satan is the greatest!" the child chirped.

"I'm sure we'll be in for a real treat today," X.S Cash spoke, drawing the attention of the press as he laced his stubby, jewel encrusted fingers on his lap. His pot belly overflowed in his pin-striped suit as the man in the orange shades and bushy mustache grinned proudly. "Not only do we have Mr. Satan joining us, but a multitude of other famous and powerful fighters from all over the world, who've come here to compete for the grand prize and a chance to face off against the strongest man in the world."

"We also heard that Mr. Satan's eleven year old daughter is competing in this tournament," a male reporter at the front, an anthropomorphic fox in a green suit and brown fedora, spoke with a toothy smile in play. "Do you believe that young Videl Satan will also have a chance of making it through to the finals?"

At first appearing shocked at the reveal of his daughter participating, the befuddled, slack-jawed Champ quickly realized the cameras were on him and, readjusting his flashy cape and costume, the man cleared his throat and lifted his nose high in the air. "Well… seeing as how she is my daughter and my most promising student, I'm sure that Videl will do exceptionally well in this competition. Though she has trained under me ever since she was four years old, she still has a long way to go before she can even think about trading blows with her old man." He ended his response with a light chuckle, which earned a round of laughs and nods from the crowd of reporters.

While the group of vultures quickly turned their attention back to X.S Cash and young Monty returned to the plates of delicious food beside him, Hercule used that opportunity to quickly wheel around and bite his nails out of view of the cameras.

"W-What the heck is my sweet, little Videl doing here?" Hercule whispered, his eyes practically bugging as bullets of sweat began running down his face. "I… I thought Jenkins said she was going over to her friend's place today to watch the fights?"

Obviously she'd lied. However, seeing as how he was already here, surrounded by dozens of reporters and Cash's dotting family, there was no way he would be able to sneak out to try and find her. Not willing to cause a scene either, the man quickly gathered his wits and calmed himself down, before turning back to the cameras with his big, cheesy grin and afro in full, presentable view.

OOO

(Sometime later)

The _World Martial Arts Tournament_ was internationally recognized as one of the biggest and most recorded events on the planet, with ratings and viewership exceeding that of any other sporting competition. But while the yearly affair was well-known for its festivities and featuring all sorts of carnival attractions, all of this awe and splendor paled in comparison to the fiesta now taking place on the South Coast of the mainland.

Sponsored and organized by the richest man in the world, the vaunted billionaire and industrialist X.S Cash, the competition entitled the _Intergalactic Martial Arts Tournament_ promised to be a show unlike any in the planet's history. The entire event was set to be held on a private island designed and constructed by one of Cash's many companies, and with the massive turnout and attractions riddling the shore, the ceremonies and future main event were undoubtedly going to be out of this world.

As jets flew overhead, spewing colored trails of smoke, and carnival music blared from the countless stands and rides on display, the people who were already at the thoroughfare clamored with excitement as they marveled and enjoyed the various sights and sounds around them. The shoreline where the main balk of the celebrations were being held was jam-packed with all manner of rides and attractions to accommodate the large number of visitors, who were arriving to the area by the planeful from all four corners of the globe.

Moving between the tents and carnival rides setup along the main boulevard, the river of fiesta goers eventually spilled onto the large pontoon bridge crossing the wide channel to another section of earth. It was here where the main attraction was scheduled to take place and was to serve as the center for the world's most expensive martial arts competition.

The surface of the aptly named _Battle Island_ was reminiscent of something out of a wipeout episode, a series of towers, pillars, platforms and viewing stands molded together by a series of plateaus and rocky formations to create a single, unbroken superstructure. Overall, the island was an aesthetic masterpiece, artificially conceived by X.S Cash's men as an exciting theme park ride for the masses. Due to all the special features and attractions built into the landmass, there was plenty to see and do, which was made evident by the amount of people flocking to the island.

The largest, commercially acknowledged event in media history, featuring fighters from all over the world and Mr. Satan himself, as well as the promise of alien challengers from the deepest parts of the cosmos, drew an enormous crowd to the country. The seats were already filling with hundreds of spectators, who were now eagerly counting down the seconds to the start of the main event.

About an hour before the competition was set to begin, the announcer's voice blared across the island to inform everyone of the current situation. _**"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Battle Island; home of the very first Intergalactic Martial Arts Tournament! You folks are in for one heck of a show today, as we pit the greatest fighters this planet has to offer against one another for a chance to face off against not only the strongest man in the world, but warriors from across the galaxy! Stay tuned for the main event, as the preliminary rounds are set to kick off in just fifty minutes!"**_

This was the announcement that greeted Gohan, Piccolo, Chi-Chi, Trunks and Bulma as they stepped out of the latter's cargo jet and onto the main landing platform of the island, where they then capsulated the craft and proceeded to their respective rendezvous points. After showing their tickets and giving their entrance details to the security on station, they began making their way through the crowds to the main staging area. Arriving at the intersection that would lead them to the stands and arena assignment quarter, the group used the next couple of minutes to wish each other luck.

"Have fun out there boys," Bulma chirped, at the same time cradling her baby Trunks in her arms and giving her future son the thumbs up. "Give them hell out there."

"And don't you dare let any of those wannabe fighters beat you. That goes double for you, Gohan," Chi-Chi said while looking down at her son, whom she could see was standing beside Mirai and Piccolo, clad in his father's uniform and an excited look on his face. "Go out there and show them what you're made of."

Gohan beamed brightly in response, "I promise I'll do my best. You can count on it."

Thumbs slipped into the belt of his pants, the lavender haired fighter from the future sporting the blue vest, black singlet and yellow boots smiled across at the women, "We'll be sure to put on a good show for you two."

"You'd better," Bulma said with a grin, "We paid top dollar to get front row seats to this competition, so both of you had better come home with the prize money."

With that understanding made, the two groups then split up, the mothers being sure to see their sons off as they made their way to the registration ward. Once Piccolo, Gohan and Trunks disappeared into the crowd, the president of Capsule Corp turned to her friend with a warm look in play.

"This is the first time in a while since I've seen Gohan so happy," Bulma commented, as her memory from the past month slowly came back to her. "He must've been really looking forward to this."

"Ever since he heard about this tournament and learned how his father had fought in multiple world tournaments when he was younger along with Tien, Krillin, Yamcha and Piccolo, I'm not surprised to see him so amped up," Chi-Chi replied, a happy glimmer in her eyes as she stared after her son. "Looking at him the way he is now, I can see just how much like his father he actually is. Once he puts his mind to something, there's no way I'll be able to stop him."

Expression softening, the blue haired woman then reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're going to be okay being in such a huge crowd? I mean…" Her eyes then glanced down at the woman's torso. "After finding out a couple of weeks ago, I figured you would-"

Placing a hand over her belly, Chi-Chi quickly looked back at her friend reassuringly, "Oh, don't worry about me, Bulma. I'm fine."

"Positive?" the scientist asked, receiving an immediate nod from her friend in response. She then gestured in the direction Gohan and the other two had left, "Have you told him yet?"

"No. But I will soon. Better later than before the tournament, since he needs to stay focused if he's going to win that prize money for us," Chi-Chi answered, before then turning around and pointing down their path. "Come on. Let's go grab a bite to eat and find our seats. We don't want to miss the opening rounds."

And that's exactly what they did. Following the crowd, both Bulma and Chi-Chi headed up the stairs to the food court, which would then lead them towards the spectator stands.

OOO

(A little while later)

After successfully making it down to the assignment area where all the participants were required to gather prior to the start of the contest, Gohan, Piccolo and Trunks were quickly herded to their respective arenas by a group of diligent tournament officials. Each and every one of the Z-fighters was directed to a flight of stairs or an elevator along with a dozen other martial artists, where they quickly found themselves scattered across one of eight specially designed combat stages.

As the new arrivals began checking out the layout of each of the surrounding rings, particularly the ones they were each assigned to, they then went about sizing up the competition. Even the Z-fighters took a moment to do the same, though with a little less enthusiasm. They were mostly impressed by the actual turnout of the competition and how elaborate the setup on _Battle Island_ actually was.

This particular sense of awe could be clearly seen reflected on the expression of one Son Gohan, who was currently standing in the middle of his fighting platform. "Man. This is one heck of a stadium. The entire thing looks like a giant, futuristic castle. It must have cost them a fortune to build all of this."

"What do you expect? They need a big arena if they're going to be holding a competition with over a hundred and fifty contestants in it," a girl's voice suddenly spoke up, drawing the young Saiyan's attention to his right. "Each of these rings alone is designed to host at least twenty to thirty fighters apiece."

When the adolescent looked down, he saw standing beside him another fighter around his age, a young girl with stunning blue eyes, black hair tied into a high ponytail, wearing a red oversized T-shirt with black trim, black spandex shorts, purple socks and yellow boots, looking up at him with a serious game-on expression. She also had a couple of first aid patches slapped on her left and right cheeks, indicating she'd gotten hit in those spots recently.

At first Gohan appeared surprised to see another fighter from his age group competing in the same tournament as him, especially a girl. However, his surprise was quickly replaced by curiosity, as he found himself staring down at the fierce looking adolescent with intent.

Seeing she had the young man's attention, the raven haired mystery girl looked away with a huff, her arms folded over her chest. "Honestly, I think this is all just a pathetic sham. Most of the fighters here are only in it for the chance to win the one hundred million zeni prize money… with the semi finalists being able to go home with eight million each, even if they lose. It takes the fun out of the whole tournament when you know it's just going to be one big circus performance."

Apparently a couple of the fighters nearby heard what the girl had to say and looked down at her with offended and irate expressions.

Hearing the teen's begrudged statement drew a chuckle from the blonde boy in the orange and blue gi. "I don't know. I think it'll be pretty interesting to see the kinds of fighters and martial artists there are out there in the world. With a turnout this big, you never know who's going to show up."

Glancing back up at him, the girl with the blue eyes cracked a smile, "You got a good point there."

"To tell you the truth, I'm actually really excited about this." Gohan then raised a hand as he went on with his explanation. "I haven't really fought in an official contest and since I never got the chance to see my dad compete in the previous martial arts tournaments, I'm really interested to see what it's like battling in a real ring."

It was after looking the boy in the orange and blue gi over that the young girl turned to him with a look of greater interest. "Hold on… have we met somewhere before? You look very familiar."

"Huh? Really?" Gohan asked, reaching up to lightly scratch his cheek with his finger.

"Yeah." She then scrutinized his face and hair, taking note of his pale blonde locks and striking green eyes. "Hmm. Strange. I know I've seen you before, I just… can't quite put my finger on it."

"Maybe I just have one of those faces," Gohan joked, at the same time poking his cheek nervously. "You know the kind that you see at school or out on the streets. I haven't really gotten out much in the past couple of years, so I don't think you and I would have ever met."

It was then the girl shrugged and uncrossed her arms. "Hm. Yeah. I guess you're right." She then smiled and extended a hand to him. "My name's Videl. What's your name?"

"Gohan," the demi-Saiyan replied while shaking her hand firmly. "Son Gohan. Nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," the girl answered pleasantly while disengaging from the handshake. "Sorry if I sounded a little short with you before. I'm just a little bit edgy at the moment."

"Oh? First time fighting in an arena?" Gohan asked, wanting to chance a guess as to what could be getting under her skin.

"Nah. Third time," Videl answered with a smirk. "It's actually a couple other things that have me worked up."

"Well, if you're looking for a time and place to get some stress off your shoulders, there's no better time than right here in the ring," Gohan chuckled, slamming his fist into his palm with an enthusiastic grin in play. "There's no shortage of dummies and knuckleheads on this platform… including me."

His eager remark earned a snicker and then a giggle from the young Videl, who had to cover her mouth to stop from laughing. The expression the boy made was priceless and the reaction the girl had put a warm smile on the young Saiyan's face.

"You're a real funny guy, Gohan," the girl commented with a soft voice and warm smile.

"Thanks. I guess a little bit of my friend Krillin must have rubbed off on me. He's usually the best at landing the jokes," the teen said, at the same time rubbing the back of his head in a very Goku-like manner.

This only served to bring a brighter look to the girl's face, as the pair stared at one another for a moment in silence, the rest of the world fading out around them as the announcer's voice echoed through the speakers.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

**Author's Note:** Let's be real, Gohan is wasting his time studying away his talent and "going to conferences". I mean, for what? Oatmeal commercials? All of his studying doesn't amount to anything except some cliche Japanese deathmarch job and him getting his ass kicked in every arc.

Ever since I first started watching DBZ twenty years ago, I always thought Chi-Chi was the hardest, most annoying bitch in the entire show who ruined not only the story, but also Gohan. I always blame her (and by extension the author) for how Gohan turned out. Every time Gohan wanted to do something different throughout the entire story, she would always oppose it, scream at him, ground him, and even in one filler episode she hired a man to literally whip Gohan into studying harder. I mean, what the fuck? Who does that to their own kid? Did she even look at the man's credentials and tutoring methods? Hell, she even had a cane herself in one scene whole looming over Gohan when he was studying, which is pretty f&*ked up, even by modern Asian standards.

Sure, I know you want what's best for your kid, but isn't it going a bit overboard keeping him in his room the entire time without doing any other activities or going out to make friends?

Goku, surprisingly, was the only person who supported Gohan's development in all its facets- in studying, training and playing. People complain how shitty a dad he is, when in fact he was actually pretty open-minded and had some decent ideas. Chi-Chi just didn't value his opinion because she acted as the alpha in the family most of the time and brushed off any opinions or comments her husband had to make on their child's development, because she thought by following his standards Gohan would grow up to become a delinquent.

Gohan may be pure, but like we saw in the series, the kid will stand up to Chi-Chi and rebel against her authority. This story takes the strength he gained from his battle with Cell and then enhances his characteristics, allowing him to become more independent and sure of his own decisions. He takes his own life into his own hands. Parents are supposed to support their child's talents, not suppress them- and since Chi-Chi isn't the most reasonable person in the world, I had Gohan stand up to her in a way that he naturally would if he was given the chance in the series and come to an agreement with her. It's a hundred percent win-win situation.

None of this "18-year-old lets his own mum cook and change his clothes for him" come the Highschool Arc. No, we're gonna get a Gohan who dresses himself.

We still get a smart Gohan, but we will also get one who isn't afraid to speak his mind, who doesn't shirk every time a woman screams at him, who isn't introverted, and is free to make his own decisions. I mean, we're talking about a boy who was literally doing Calculus during his survival training with Piccolo in a cave. I think he's smart enough, don't you guys think? (lol, but not smart enough in canon to realize he has to train if he wants to stop getting bodied by every enemy he comes across).

Okay. Polls open. I want to test the waters. Who does everyone want Gohan with? Zangya? 18? Videl? Two of them or all three of them. Might help influence my decision.


	3. Bojack Saga - The Noble Warriors

**Author's Note:** The poll has given me a good idea of where a lot of people stand and, in considering everything that happens during this arc and how people responded following the question I posed, I'm going to do my best to write the future arcs to coincide with not only what my intentions are, but also to the fans of my writing. To be honest, what a lot of people had to say in the reviews aligns with my preferences for the story, so I guess it's a win-win situation either way.

You won't know the full results until later down the line, due to spoilers, so I'm going to do my best to keep the updates rolling from here on out.

Thanks everyone for your support.

* * *

**Dragonball Z**

_**Golden Age**_

_The Noble Warriors_

(Meanwhile)

(Up in Otherworld)

"Man. And I thought the World Martial Arts Tournament was big, but this one takes the cake," the familiar voice of Goku spoke up in amazement. Leaning over the shoulder of his mentor from Otherworld, the man in the orange and blue gi, black spiky hair and golden halo hovering overhead was unable to tear his eyes away from the television as the camera panned over the arena that was _Battle Island_. "It's like I'm watching an _Extreme Elimination Challenge_ episode back home."

"It may as well be," King Kai replied with a clearly amused look on his face. "The setup for this tournament is completely over the top."

"Yeah. But take a look at the layout," the Saiyan remarked with a whistle. "They have rings and fighting platforms all over the place. No matter where you fall off, you're always going to end up hitting the water."

"I think that's what they're going for," King Kai explained, glancing across at his student with a sagely expression. "The first stage of this competition is designed to be a king-of-the-hill sort of deal, where they pit twenty or so fighters against one another in a massive free-for-all. Whoever is left standing at the end is declared the winner."

"That makes sense," Goku chirped, before looking back at the television with interest.

For the past month Goku, King Kai, Bubbles and Gregory had been holed up on this mountain peak in the middle of snake way, using it as a base as they thought about what they were going to do next. Though they had plans on moving a little further down the line, since their journey was taking so long they decided to stick around here for a little while and have a break. This gave them plenty of time to catch up on current affairs, while also discuss any plans they had for their future in the world of the dead.

It's not like this was a bad place by any stretch of the imagination. The mountain peaking out of the ocean of endless yellow clouds had a really awesome view of the celestial horizon and gave King Kai and co a decent place to sleep. The only bad thing about this place was the reception, which judging from the television they were able to scrounge up wasn't all that great.

Still at least they had some connection. As Bubbles and Gregory played a game of 'Old Maid' on the garden table in the background, Goku and King Kai were able to sit down and enjoy the broadcast that was now being shot up from earth. Ever since they'd heard about some big tournament going down on the planet, they couldn't resist tapping in.

As the live recording panned over the various contestants already gathered on the platforms, King Kai gave a disappointed sniff. "Look at all these jokers. Most of them aren't even interested in fighting the aliens or the Champ in this tournament. They're just in it for the chance to win the prize money." He would bet a Zeni that most of them wouldn't even be able to lift a fifty kilo dumbbell with one hand. Heck, even the 'aliens' waiting for them in the semi-finals weren't actually aliens. They were just a bunch of Hercule's top students that X.S Cash hired to play the role of extra-terrestrial challengers and had them dress up in costumes so people wouldn't recognize them. The entire thing was just one big letdown. "Back in my day, fighting meant a lot more than just an easy paycheck. Now it's become just like every other sport, filled with rookie hopefuls, fakers, phonies, and performers."

"Really?" Goku asked while raising an eyebrow at the screen. "I don't know. Some of these guys look pretty tough."

"By human standards, of course. Out of the hundreds of fighters competing, only about a handful of them would be taking this competition seriously. Your friends and family in particular," King Kai said, a smile forming on his lips. "For them, fighting is a passion and a way of life. Heck, even your son is starting to get in on the action."

This information had Goku's face brighten considerably, "How is my son doing by the way? Is he alright?"

"Oh, he's fine," King Kai chuckled while glancing at his eager old student. "He's been training non-stop over the last couple of weeks since you last got in touch with him. After your battle against the androids, he's been getting stronger and stronger every day."

This news put a smile on Goku's face. "That's my boy." He'd known for a while now that Gohan had been keeping up his training. Even though he was all the way up here, he always made it a point to check in on his family and loved ones every once in a while. His wife and son especially were the two he looked in on the most and, with the help of King Kai, he could always make sure they were doing alright.

"That boy of yours sure is something else. He's growing up to be a fine young warrior with a strong arm and a big heart," King Kai commented, looking back to watch the feed switch over to another platform on the island. "Just like his father." When it did, they saw Tien's face pop into view, as the man was stationed in the center of the crowd with his arms folded and an intimidating visage in play.

Goku beamed down at the screen as it flickered between random cameras, "It's a shame I can't be down there with him."

Though he'd chosen to remain in Otherworld to protect his family and friends from any enemies that were likely to appear searching for him, the Saiyan clearly missed being with his loved ones. It'd been a tough decision to make back then. But with his presence constantly inviting more trouble as if he were the living embodiment of a jinx, Goku felt that he could wait it out a little while and see if there were any changes. Too many lives had already been lost on his account and he wasn't going to take any more chances. They could only be lucky so many times.

He swore he would return in the future. Until then, he was going to make the most of his time here in the netherworld and ready himself for the inevitable confrontation with his wife. The thought of getting screamed at by Chi-Chi again sent a phantom shiver down his spine.

As the pair continued to watch the feed and Goku sat down to get a little more comfortable, they then saw the broadcast switch over to another roaming camera. There, standing in the middle of the platform surrounded by dozens of other fighters, they spotted the distinct form of Gohan, in a controlled Super Saiyan state, chatting with a young girl around the same age as him with raven black hair done into a ponytail.

"Oh. It's Gohan," King Kai exclaimed.

"Yeah," Goku chuckled, his grin widening when the roaming camera zoomed in on his boy. "Hey. He's wearing the same clothes as I am. Chi-Chi must have made them for him."

The Northern guardian beamed warmly at the sight. "Must be his way of honoring you."

Unable to hide the look of pride reflected on his face, Goku then became interested in the girl standing next to his son and stared at her thoughtfully for a moment. "Huh. I wonder who that is."

A mischievous grin slowly formed across King Kai's face, "It looks like your son has made a new girlfriend."

"Already? At his age?" Goku asked incredulously, drawing a snicker from the Kai that completely went over his head. "Wow. My son works fast." His continued remarks only served to enhance his mentor's amusement.

OOO

(Back on Earth)

If it wasn't already apparent that this island was completely jam-packed with fighters and spectators, it was now. After purchasing some food and drinks from the food court on the levels below, Chi-Chi and Bulma then spent the next half an hour afterwards making their way up to their seats in the viewing balconies. It wasn't easy, seeing as how they had to navigate through an endless sea of civilians flocking in the exact same direction.

Successfully arriving at their destination thanks to the help of the tournament staff, the pair dropped into their seats and made themselves comfortable. A short while later, the announcer's voice blared to life through the intercom.

"_**Thank you for your patience, ladies and gentlemen! Without further ado, we will now be starting the first round of the tournament!"**_ the charismatic voice of the competition's primary orator announced, drawing a collective cheer from every single person on the island. At the same time, the giant monitors and screens scattered across the staging area lit up with X.S Cash's logo, signaling the start of the contest's official broadcast. _**"The registration desk is now closed! All fighters and last-minute contenders in the warm-up pavilion please make their way to their assigned platforms to begin the preliminaries!"**_

"Alright! It's finally starting!" Bulma stated, her excitement being shared by the dozens of other people surrounding her. Readjusting her infant son's position in her arms as he squirmed about, the woman then peered over the side of the railing to gaze down at the stages they could see in front of them. "Let's see if we can spot Gohan and the others out there. If we're lucky they should all be assigned to different blocks."

"That shouldn't be too difficult," Chi-Chi quipped, joining her friend in her task as the screens nearby began listing all the fighters participating in the tournament. Each platform represented a single block on the tally, with all two hundred plus contestants being randomly allocated to each of the eight stages. The entire thing was designed to be a massive battle royale, where this first round of fighting would determine which of the contestants from the eight blocks would be moving on to the quarter finals, where the best from each block would then be pitted against one another. All in all, it was guaranteed to be one hell of a contest.

After a minute of searching the arenas in front of her, Chi-Chi grinned and pointed across the chasm, "Hey! There's Gohan!" Pulling out the two fans she'd brought with her, she began waving them in the air to try and get her son's attention, despite the fact he wasn't even looking in her direction. "Yeah! Go Gohan! I'll be cheering for you, son!"

"I've spotted Trunks out there as well!" Bulma announced immediately afterwards, pointing towards the tower nearby and the ring sitting on top of it. She then looked down at her baby and directed his gaze towards his future counterpart. "Look, sweetie. It's you!" In response the infant Trunks cooed happily, his tiny arms reaching for the platform in question. "Wow. That stage is a lot higher than I was expecting. What's going to happen when people fall off?"

"Ah. I'm sure they'll be fine. They just have to keep their legs straight before they hit the water," the Son mother assured, her eyes panning over the stadium before quickly spotting another familiar face. "I found Krillin!" She caught sight of the man easily; dressed in his signature orange and blue gi with the _Turtle Hermit_ insignia all over it. The fact that he was also the shortest out of all the fighters on his platform and had a completely waxed head meant that he stuck out like a sore thumb. Seeing him wave towards the crowd with a big, cheesy grin on his face had Chi-Chi beam brightly. "He told us a couple of days ago that he would be participating. Since he and Goku fought in so many tournaments before, I'm not surprised he wanted to get involved."

"The enormous prize money must be what brought him here," Bulma murmured, earning a nod of agreement from her fellow mother. "The amount given to the winner and the four runner ups is pretty far out."

"I'm guessing that's why Yamcha is here as well," Chi-Chi added at the end while nodding towards the monitor hanging off of one of the nearby walls.

When Bulma glanced across at the display, she clearly saw her ex-boyfriend hanging around another group of martial artists on a ring that they couldn't see, dressed in his orange and blue gi, and wearing a big smile on his face. After seeing the screen move through the list of names, it then switched over to another platform, where the two mothers quickly made out the familiar face of Tien staring back at the camera, looking as cool and sharp as ever. The next to turn out was Piccolo, who in typical bad-boy Namekian fashion, had his back turned to the audience and his arms crossed. The sight of him actually drew a chuckle from the observing Bulma.

"If Tien and Yamcha are here, that means Oolong, Chiaotzu, Puar and Master Roshi can't be too far behind," Bulma reasoned, knowing that those four always stuck together during group outings. Though two of them never directly participated in the competitions while the other two were classified as retired, it was always refreshing to know their friends were still leading active lifestyles.

"Out of all the fighters here, I believe the only ones who aren't interested in the prize money at all are Piccolo and Tien," Chi-Chi said while crossing her arms. "Those guys are old school. They're just out here to have a little bit of fun."

"Same as Gohan, except he's going after the grand prize just like everybody else," Bulma added at the end, making faces at her youngest son as he went clambering about her arms and shoulders. She then looked across at her ring-side companion fondly. "Considering he's a Saiyan, he won't be satisfied unless he reaches the top and wins, just like his father."

"Speaking of fathers, didn't you ask Vegeta if he wanted to come along as well?" Chi-Chi asked, giving her friend an inquisitive look. "Since this is the last time you guys will be able to see Trunks before he goes back to his time, wouldn't he want to participate in this tournament too?"

Her question had Bulma frown and look away angrily, "Of course not. Whatever passion Vegeta had for fighting is long gone. He just mopes around the house all day and stays locked up in his room for hours on end. Hell, he doesn't even bother to go out to train anymore. I don't know what's going on in that thick head of his."

Looking down thoughtfully, Chi-Chi slowly turned her attention back to the various platforms spread out in front of them. "He hasn't been the same since Goku died."

It was a pretty depressing thought, but what could they possibly do? The man was just going to have to get out of his slump his own way.

XXX

(Meanwhile)

Over on Gohan's platform, the young Super Saiyan in the orange and blue gi was having a very enjoyable conversation with his new friend Videl. Even though they were surrounded by dozens of big and imposing martial artists all gearing up for a fight, the pair still found the time to smile and look cheerful, as they were busy processing every word the other person was speaking to them.

Judging from their current expressions, it was safe to say they were really having fun chatting with each other, being in their element and all.

"So you've been practicing martial arts ever since you were four as well, huh?" Gohan asked, hands on his hips as he saw the raven haired girl nod in response. "That's pretty cool. You must really like fighting then?"

"What can I say? It runs in the family," Videl informed with a shrug, at the same time crossing her arms in front of her. "Not only was my dad a fighter, but my mum was a martial artist too. That's how the two of them first met."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. Years ago my father was training a group of students at a small gym that he owned in the city. It was the same place my mum regularly visited in between work, because she liked the atmosphere and it wasn't so overcrowded. When my mum came over to spar with him, not only did she manage to win, but she put him on his back in the first throw. Up until then that was the first time my dad had ever been beaten by anyone in a one-on-one fight."

"She must have been a really strong woman to have done that," Gohan remarked cheerfully, finding the girl's story to be very interesting.

"My mum did judo all throughout high school while my dad practiced karate," Videl continued, her smile widening as she gazed at the boy in front of her. "He fell in love with mum at first sight and the two of them ended up running the gym together before they had me. From the stories they told and the pictures they showed me, I could tell they were really happy." It was then a sad look came over Videl's face and she looked away momentarily, a sight that did not go amiss by the studious Gohan. "Mum… passed away a couple years ago."

Gohan's own expression saddened at this news and he lowered his head, "I'm sorry."

Taking a deep breath, the raven haired girl looked up again. "Things weren't the same after that… especially between me and dad. When I was younger I used to love hanging out with him and training at his gym. But as the months went bym he started acting more and more arrogant and idiotic. It just got worse the more famous he became… and now all he ever does is show off and act like a big-shot- both in and outside the house." Videl then shook her head furiously, as memories of those times started flashing in her head like a strobe. "Dancing around in the ring, bragging to the cameras, bringing home new women every night… if mum saw how he was now, I bet she'd give him a good, hard punch to the face."

Remaining quiet for a moment as the clamor of the crowds in the background continued, Gohan then gave the girl a sympathetic look. After all, he couldn't deny the fact that he knew how she felt. "Maybe doing all of that is just your dad's way of coping with things. I mean… everyone reacts differently when they lose someone close to them, especially someone that they really love." His expression fell somewhat when his own memories of past losses came back to him. "I should know. And... after hearing what you have to say, acting out the way he does probably helps your dad get through the day."

"Yeah. Maybe," Videl murmured, her expression softening briefly before scrunching back up again, "But it's still embarrassing! I hate it!"

Gohan nodded in understanding. "I can only imagine."

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, the upset girl quickly realized where her conversation had led her and she quickly turned to give the blonde teen an apologetic look. "Sorry for going off at you like that, Gohan. I… I guess I'm still just a little angry at how my dad's been acting over the last couple of weeks."

The Saiyan tilted his head and gave the tomboy a warm smile. "That's okay. If my listening helps make you feel better in any way, then I'm more than happy to lend you an ear." He then nodded to her assuredly and lifted his hand in a sincere gesture. "I promise I won't tell a soul."

A sense of gratitude and admiration became reflected in Videl's eyes as she smiled softly at the blond. "Thanks, Gohan."

"Don't mention it."

Before either of the two youngsters could talk about anything else, the voice of the tournament announcer blared across the island. _**"The preliminary round of the Intergalactic Martial Arts Tournament will now begin! All fighters take your positions!"**_

"Oh. Guess that's our cue," Gohan chirped, stretching his arms out and shaking his hands to loosen them up. Watching the fighters on the ring spread out and find a space to start, the Super Saiyan then shot Videl one of his more charming smiles. "So, you wanna take these guys together or-?"

"I'll let you handle the meatheads on the right. I've got the group on the left," Videl interjected, cracking her knuckles before shooting her newfound friend a competitive smirk. "We can continue our talk later. After I've beaten my lot, I'm coming for you next, blondie."

Gohan smirked back at her when he sensed the challenging tone in her voice and responded in kind. "You sound so confident. Are you sure you'll be able to take them on all by yourself?"

"Of course," Videl retorted with a grin, "How about you?"

The teen chuckled, "Definitely."

After giving each other one last grin, the pair then spun around and stood back-to-back, assuming their respective fighting stances as their feet dug into the tiles. While Videl's fighting pose appeared Muay Thai based, Gohan's stance reflected the Hung Ga style, emphasizing solid leg positions and strong hands. The pair then waited with game faces on, counting down the seconds to the starting gun as the rest of the martial artists also readied themselves.

For a brief moment, the crowds went silent at the same time the clocks on all the monitors counted down from five.

Then, moments later, the starting horn sounded and a combined roar went up from every single person present as every single martial artist present sprang into action.

The fight was on!

XXX

All of _Battle Island_ erupted into a scene of utter chaos and excitement, as the men and women dominating the spectator stands watched the two hundred fighters clash with each other in a flurry of blows. Atop the eight separate platforms, every single competitor in sight engaged in an awesome display of fighting finesse, skill and strength, desperately wanting to secure a place in the quarterfinal rounds. At the same time the fighters made sure to stay as far away from the edges as possible, in order to avoid the hundred foot drop into the ocean.

As warriors battled and blows landed, the referee overseeing the matches screamed into his mic, giving up-to-date commentary on the events taking place on each of the platforms and reminding all those present the rules of the competition. They were no different from the traditional martial arts tournament guidelines; _fighters were disqualified if they fainted, surrendered, or fell into the sea. Killing was absolutely prohibited, as was the use of weapons. The last one left standing on each stage would automatically earn them a place in the next round._

After the first fifteen minutes flew by and the audience continued to egg the contestants on, dozens of fighters began to fall, as the strongest warriors began making their presences known. The crowds went wild as they watched the most skilled, powerful and agile fighters cut a path through the competition, knocking down body after body like pins in a bowling alley.

On one platform, a large anthropomorphic wolverine in a red gi was taking down fighters left and right and looked as though he was going to win it for his entire block. But almost immediately after dispatching two other fighters, the man suddenly found himself cornered on the edge, where he was promptly pushed off and thrown into the water. On a second platform not too far away, the massive sumo-wrestler Doskoi went head-to-head with his entire block, as every single man and woman there attempted to force the warrior into the sea. With a quick grab and a mighty toss, he was able to get rid of almost half the competition and sent all of them plummeting into the ocean below, which earned him an exclamation of delight from the audience.

It was pandemonium. All around fighters were having at it one-on-one, two-on-one, free for all, one-on-ten, and so on and so forth, all of them trying their very best to be the last ones left standing. Men and women were beating on each other without hesitation. At first things started off clumsy and chaotic, but as the fights went on the competitors started to find their paces.

As always the cameras and the news crews captured everything, ensuring none of the spectators on the island or across the world missed a single shot. The Cash family that was currently held up in the skybox were completely captivated by the spectacle, save for their son who was a little too preoccupied with chatting with Hercule Satan.

This meant that the Champ as well as little Monty completely missed the sight of the Z-fighters kicking complete and total ass on all the stages.

Having a ball in the madness of it all, the cheerful and obviously enthusiastic Krillin was cleaning house of his entire platform. Jumping from spot to spot in a blur as individual sections of his ring were constantly moving up and down, the short fighter made short work of the competition, knocking out opponents with only a handful of halfhearted blows. Hell, the man wasn't putting any effort behind his attacks, as it was made clear by the big smile on his face and the fact that he managed to send one of his targets flying off the block and into the ocean with a swift flick to his chest.

"And the crowd goes wild as rookie sensation Krillin from East City sinks his fifteenth shot!" the bald fighter laughed, turning towards one of the nearby roaming cameras and giving the spectators a thumbs-up. "That's Krillin with two Ls, by the way, and I like my paychecks to be hand-delivered to me by a pair of beautiful supermodels in swimsuits. Thank you." The Z-fighter then casually leant back, avoiding a punch from an opportunistic boxer and kicking the man into the sky.

All of a sudden, a loud cheer from the crowd drew Krillin's attention to the stands, where he saw the familiar form of Chi-Chi, dressed in her purple and yellow gi, standing on the railing and waving a pair of fans through the air.

"GO GOHAN! BEAT EM' ALL! YOU CAN DO IT!"

It was upon spotting his best friend's wife, Krillin's eagerness took an immediate nosedive. "Wha? Gohan's fighting?" He looked down at his hands in disbelief. "But he's a Super Saiyan? That's not fair!" Obviously he'd had no idea the strongest person on the face of the planet was competing today. And here he thought he had a straight shot to winning the hundred million zeni prize money.

Feeling the sensation of imminent and eventual defeat slowly creeping up on him, another battle cry from nearby drew Krillin's gaze to a different part of the island. Behind one of the obstructing towers, he saw the bodies of hapless martial artists being flung over the side and into the ocean, upon which he then sensed the powerful ki of their Namekian teammate at the center of the anomaly.

The realization had Krillin's face pale. "P-Piccolo too?" Gulping, the teary-eyed man then cracked a nervous smile. "Well at least Trunks isn't here." The sound of multiple bodies hitting the ground behind him had the martial artist spin around. Seeing a pile of unconscious contestants lying on the ground, the Z-fighter then looked up, where he saw the unmistakable form of Mirai Trunks, long lavender hair and blue vest flowing in the wind, looking over the side. The sight of the grinning Saiyan had Krillin deflate miserably. "Oh, me and my big mouth. This is now _officially_ unfair."

XXX

Elsewhere on the island, Gohan was having the time of his life. Darting across his platform at a relaxed and laidback pace, the young Super Saiyan was given ample opportunity to practice his control and fighting technique, as he dealt out the most generous beating that he could on the multitude of opponents in his general area. Normally he would've been able to take all of these guys out in one hit. However, this being a festive event where use of deadly force wasn't allowed and there wasn't anything life-threatening taking place, Gohan opted to use his match to get some worthwhile training in.

Hopping from one area of the ring to the other the teen struck down his targets with a cheerful smile on his face. From the way he was moving it almost looked as though he was floating, dancing across the ring in a superb display of fighting tact and form, his feet barely touching the tiles. While this was indeed true from a normal human perspective, in reality he wasn't doing anything other than using textbook fighting techniques.

Catching a kick from a man in a karate gi, Gohan held the man's ankle and swept his other leg out from under him, kicking the fighter off his feet and sending him bouncing across the ground. Almost immediately after dispatching the bald fighter he then darted towards a second martial artist in a yellow spandex suit and, avoiding a swift punch from the bulky warrior, elbowed him in the stomach. His attack sent the hapless man flying into two other people, bowling them over the edge and sending all three men into the water.

After hearing their simultaneous splashes seconds later, the grinning Gohan then turned his attention towards another part of the ring, where he stopped short at a rather bewildering sight.

Ducking under several big swings thrown by a large, bulky man in a Mexican wrestling uniform, the comparatively diminutive form of Videl rushed in at her opponent, hiking up his forward leg and torso before, with a sharp pivot and grab, kneed the man square in the face and sent him toppling to the floor. When his body hit the tiles with a dull thud, the tiny girl landed on top of him, before springing off of his chest when she was set upon by another man in a red singlet and trousers.

The muscular man with the military cut jabbed out at the girl with a series of swift punches, showing the prowess and agility of a boxer. But the instant he threw a kick in the midst of his assault, Videl simply checked his leg, sprang off of the ground, and nailed him with an overhand from above. Her fist cracked across the martial artist's face and knocked him out. When she landed and the fighter's body hit the deck, the grinning girl caught a punch being thrown at her from behind and, with a sharp tug, kicked the feet out from the judo practitioner and threw him across the ring.

"Wow," Gohan murmured, his expression showcasing nothing but amazement. _"She's good… better than good. Her technique is fantastic!"_

Not wanting to be outdone the Saiyan rushed towards another pair of fighters, tackling one with a swift elbow to the gut that knocked the guy off his feet. Ducking a punch from the other brawler, Gohan then leapt at him, struck him twice in the face with two finger-flicks before then poking him in the stomach and sending him tumbling across the ring. He then ducked a grab from a woman in black spandex from behind, caught her by the front of her top and chucked her into another fighter, knocking both of them to the floor.

He then moved right on to the next one, repeating the process over and over again…

XXX

While Tien was casually picking apart the competition on his block and Piccolo was in the process of wrapping things up on his end, across the island on another platform, one of the other Z-fighters had stopped to have a bit of a break. However, rather than having it down on the arena floor with the rest of the competition, this one had decided to take his up to the top of one of the nearby radio towers.

His gi clad form laid out on the surface of the giant transmitter, the noticeably miserable Yamcha breathed a heavy sigh of disappointment. "I can't believe Gohan and Trunks entered the tournament," the man sulked, his eyes fixated on the sky above. "One-hundred million beautiful zeni, gone."

He'd also found out that Piccolo, Tien and Krillin had entered the tournament as well. While he had no problems having to compete with his two human teammates, the Namekian was a completely different story. After all, he was part of what he referred to as Earth's power triangle; the top three strongest fighters currently on the planet. This wasn't even counting the time traveler from the future, who was just visiting the crew for the month.

Even so the human's position in the pecking order was made all too clear. So, instead of continuing on with what he now viewed as a pointless feud, the man simply kicked back with his hands behind his head and sighed.

"Oh well. It was a nice dream while it lasted," the man mumbled to himself. "Man. And I really wanted that new corvette…"

XXX

Seeing her ex-boyfriend lying on top of the nearby spire on the monitor drew a sympathetic smile from Bulma. "Poor Yamcha. He had so much energy before, but now he's completely lost his drive."

"The pressure of the competition must be overwhelming," Chi-Chi spoke, chancing a guess as to what must be getting under the scar-faced man's skin. A smile reflecting confidence formed on her lips as she crossed her arms and looked back out over the multiple battle stages. "After finding out the others are also fighting in this tournament, I'm not surprised he's decided to throw in the towel."

Feeling a sense of pride wash over her, Bulma gave a very haughty look. "True. How can anyone expect to beat Trunks?"

Hearing the woman's sly remark loud and clear, Chi-Chi got right up into her friend's face and glared, "Except Gohan!"

Sitting comfortably in his mother's arm, Baby Trunks quickly found himself caught in the middle of an epic stand-off, as Chi-Chi and Bulma began glaring daggers at one another. Menacing auras quickly surrounded the two women as they snarled at each other, obviously at odds over whose son was going to win the tournament. Clearly it wasn't just the Saiyan husbands who had the capacity to form rivalries with one another.

The crowd of spectators sitting around the two women became so caught up in their passive-aggressive motherly catfight that they completely missed the feed of the sumo wrestler Doskoi knocking one of his opponents into the spire Yamcha was lying on and sending the Z-fighter plummeting into the ocean.

The whistle quickly sounded the defeat of the former mercenary, but was chiefly ignored by the rest of the fighters up top as they continued their fray.

Cheers went up amongst the civilians as they watched Doskoi lay out his opponents with several well-placed palm strikes and pushes. When another group attempted to set upon him from behind, he simply pushed them over the edge of the arena and into the water. As soon as they went in, it looked as though the colossal warrior was well on his way to being the last man standing.

However, the large martial artist quickly spotted another fighter standing in the middle of his platform, surrounded by a dozen other bodies who'd all been beaten into unconsciousness. Turning his attention to them, the bulky, rotund fighter cracked his neck and set himself into a wide stance.

"You've done well to make it this far, little lady," Doskoi said in a deep, booming voice, seeing the blonde woman in the blue jeans, white shirt and vest stare back at him with her arms crossed. "But I'm afraid this is as far as you go. I apologize in advance." After grinding his feet into the floor, he then charged towards the woman with a mighty yell.

Moments later Doskoi's body collided with the lithe blonde with the force of a charging herd of elephants, a loud thud and a gust of wind blasting off of him from the impact. From the crowd's point of view it seemed like the wrestler had completely crushed his foe. But much to everyone's shock, including the challenger's, they saw he was being held back by his opponent; the mysterious blonde beauty effortlessly holding him at arm's length with her palm pressed flat up against his chest.

"What? B-But… how?" the man choked out in shock.

Her sharp, piercing blue eyes fixed upon the big man's face, the female then gave one, quick push and casually shoved her opponent away, sending Doskoi rolling across the platform and over the side.

When his body hit the waves with a towering splash, there was a moment of deathly silence, seconds before the crowd sitting in the stands gave a massive cheer of praise and excitement.

Flicking locks of golden hair over her shoulder, Android 18 breathed a bored sigh as she answered her opponent's question. "I'm just better." She then narrowed her eyes over her shoulder, as she sensed two more fighters step into view. Seeing they were a boxer and an MMA fighter, the young woman huffed in annoyance. "The prize money better be worth all this…"

XXX

A loud rumble and a collective cry of terror filled the air as an entire group of fighters on the lowest battle platform were piled together before unceremoniously being pushed into the sea. While the crowds cheered at the astonishing feat of strength, when the dust atop the platform settled, it revealed the human battle plow Son Gohan with his hands on his hips and a big grin on his face.

"That takes care of them," the blonde spoke, before the young Super Saiyan looked over his shoulder. "Twenty eight down… and only one more to go." His enthusiastic grin then fell upon Videl, whom he saw was holding an unconscious wrestler by the collar of his spandex as he lay on the ground with a busted nose and a swollen eye.

Her eyes also fixed on Gohan, the tomboy then released the man she was holding and cracked her knuckles, a determined look appearing on her face. "You actually beat them. Nice work."

"Ditto," the young Saiyan chirped, before quickly turning to her with a smirk. "So… did you save enough energy for me?"

Turning to face her adversary completely, Videl balled her fists and grinned, "Let's find out." Smile disappearing in an instant, the eleven year old fighter then dashed towards her final opponent with surprising speed, a cloud of dust kicking up behind her.

Balking at how fast the girl actually was, Gohan took a step back and quickly head-slipped a series of swift punches thrown at him by his opponent. When the girl fired off a right straight at him, the adolescent quickly caught her wrist and spun her, striking at her with a hook. Videl however ducked his half-hearted blow and leapt at him with a cartwheel kick, the maneuver causing Gohan to lean back and inadvertently allow the girl to twist out of his thumb.

The second she leapt away from her foe, Videl darted at him a second time, moving in a zigzag pattern to avoid the two punches Gohan thrust at her, before she came at him from below. When the Saiyan struck at her with a hook, the tomboy caught his fist and leapt over him, twisting and suspending her body over his till she was directly vertical to the Saiyan.

With her momentum she attempted to twist Gohan into a submissive position on her descent, but found to her shock that the young man's arm would not budge. She released him, allowing her to drop back down to the floor behind the teen and restart her attack. The moment Videl landed she sprang at the hybrid, only to catch a knee that he thrust towards her. Jumping off of it using her hands, the tomboy retaliated with a slicing elbow to his temple, which connected with Gohan's arm when he blocked it while simultaneously knocking her back.

Dodging two swift jabs and a palm strike from the boy, Videl slipped around him in a circle and, with a quick twirl, slammed a right roundhouse kick into his side. The girl balked when she saw the boy catch her leg and lock it up under his limb, prompting her to spring off the ground and jump at him, burying her knees into his chest. Locking her right arm around his neck, Videl then brought her left arm up and thrust an elbow down onto his head. But the blonde deflected her blow with his forearm, allowing Videl to free her leg from him and springboard off of his face, her feet instead slamming into his arms when he blocked.

Videl back flipped through the air and landed on the floor in a crouched position, huffing and shooting her opponent an excited smile.

Watching Videl assume a very cat-like crouch, the perfectly calm Gohan cracked a smile of his own. "Nice moves." He then raised an eyebrow at her. "Muay Thai and Judo?"

"With a little bit of Hapkido and gymnastics on the side," Videl replied, before then raising an eyebrow at the boy. "You're pretty full of surprises yourself, blondie. Xing Yi Quan and Changquan? That's pretty damn old school." She recognized his fighting styles right away from her research on martial arts.

"And Hung Ga and Long Xing Quan," Gohan added with a smirk, sliding his foot out and bringing his hands up using wide, circular movements. "Personally I always preferred Northern Long Fist above everything else. It allows me more freedom of movement and flexibility."

"I bet it does," Videl chirped, before springing off of the floor and dashing at her opponent once again.

Switching to the smoother style of taijiquan, the still beaming Gohan began steadily backing away, allowing Videl to attack him with all her might. Using textbook kickboxing skills and attacks, the aggressive girl struck out at the Saiyan with a flurry of sharp punches and kicks. Despite her efforts, all of her blows either missed or were completely deflected as her opponent slipped and weaved between her shots. It was then Videl noticed as they were drawing closer and closer to the edge of the arena that her opponent was still smiling at her and looking as though he wasn't putting any effort into defending himself at all.

Watching the boy check a roundhouse kick, the frustrated Videl took a step back and shot a glare at the young teenager. "Come on. Are you taking this fight seriously at all? What's your deal?"

"Sorry," Gohan apologized, a smile still present on his face as he looked down at the winded tomboy. "It's just that if I was to use all my strength against you, I'd do more than just break a few bones. Trust me. I _am_ taking this seriously, but not too seriously." He then chuckled at the quizzical look Videl threw him. "You'll understand in a couple minutes."

Frowning, the raven haired fighter lowered her stance, "Cut the crap. If you're really so strong, then why don't you just beat me already?"

"If I did then I wouldn't be able to enjoy watching you fight," Gohan answered, his words causing Videl to recoil in surprise. "You have really amazing technique, Videl… the best I've seen from another fighter in a long time. I bet if you were a lot stronger and could do the same stuff that I could, you would be even more amazing."

Feeling her face heat up slightly at the boy's compliments towards her form, the girl then gritted her teeth and leapt at him aggressively. "Just shut up and fight me!" She then lunged in with a punch, only to let out a shriek when Gohan suddenly caught her arm and flung her over the edge. She screamed as she plummeted towards the ocean, quickly realizing as she fell that this was the end and shut her eyes for the inevitable splash.

But just when it seemed like she was going to hit the water, Videl suddenly felt someone grab her hand and stop her fall, causing her to blink and look up. When she did, she saw Gohan floating above her, holding her by the hand with a bright smile in play. It was one he reserved solely for his gutsy opponent.

"Perhaps another time," the Saiyan said.

Confused at seeing the boy hovering over her, Videl quickly turned her gaze downwards. It was then when she saw the ocean waves crashing against the island walls and boats beneath her that the girl realized that she was floating, causing her to gasp in disbelief and look up at the boy who was holding her with a start.

"G-Gohan. You're… You're flying!" Videl exclaimed, unable to hide her amazement.

Grinning, the demi-Saiyan slowly maneuvered both of them over to one of the walkways below, where he then began a slow descent. "You were right about one thing, Videl; I _am_ full of surprises. When you come from a family like mine and know the people that I do, you tend to pick up a few things."

It was then as she was staring up at the child that flashbacks of a very familiar event flickered through her head, as Videl's brain began replaying the memories of the time she watched the Cell Games at her home. She remembered the strange group of fighters that'd showed up, the man that'd fought the monster after her father, and the "tricks" and "illusions" they displayed when they clashed in a battle that shook the very planet itself. It was then she remembered the one other person that was there; the boy around her age with striking green eyes and blond hair.

That moment she realized…

"Y-You're him," Videl whispered, her eyes shimmering in amazement as she felt the wind rush past them as they floated down from the sky. "You're… the boy who fought Cell."

Gohan nodded and, as he gently set Videl on the walkway, spoke his next words softly to her. "I really meant what I said to you- that you're an awesome fighter. If it's okay with you, Videl, I'd really like to meet up again after the tournament. Unless you've got something else planned."

Her eyes not leaving Gohan's for a second, taking in both his handsome smile and the way his eyes were gazing intently at her, Videl was unable to keep the heat from rushing to her cheeks as she swallowed nervously and gave the blonde a warm smile of her own. "Sure. I'd like that, Gohan-kun."

Nodding, the young warrior let the girl's fingers slip from his hand and he floated back up to his arena. "Thanks for a great fight, Videl." With that said and done, the young Super Saiyan then returned to his platform under the astonished looks of Videl and the entire stadium.

As the daughter of the Champ watched her newfound friend return to their block, she vaguely overheard the observing referee's whistle blow, telling her that she was 'out of bounds' and that she'd been 'disqualified'. She didn't care however, because as far as she was concerned she'd just met the nicest, most incredible boy in the whole world.

For some reason she could feel her heart racing and her head pulsing, but she chose to disperse all thoughts on the strange sensations and, retreating from the walkway of stunned onlookers, quickly began making her way up to the spectator stands to watch the rest of the fights.

"_There's no way I'm going to miss this,"_ Videl thought excitedly as she sprinted up the stairs and into the island.

"_**Son Gohan is the first to pass the preliminaries and will be advancing into the quarter finals!"**_

XXX

As cheers echoed throughout the stadium at the first victor for the day, not long afterwards a second announcement was made, which was heard all across the stands and shoreline, including the Cash family skybox.

"_**And pulling into second place from Block C, Trunks advances!"**_

For the wealthy family and proprietors of this prestigious event, they regarded the first two winners with awe and interest. Including the sight of young Gohan winning his round with a gentlemanly gesture to the Champ's daughter of all people, it'd been stellar performances all around. The family as well as the tournament officials and promoters couldn't have hoped for any better.

As for the great Hercule Satan however, his reaction was a mixture of abject shock and horror. Having initially dropped his fork in incredulity at seeing his daughter lose, it was the way that she'd been beaten that filled his heart with dread as he was now staring up at the projection of Son Gohan and Trunks in utter bewilderment. Swallowing the spaghetti in his mouth so that he didn't choke, the wide-eyed champion of the world shook his head in disbelief.

"Th-This… can't be…" the afro fighter whispered, his eyes panning towards another monitor on the other side of the viewing area.

There he saw one of the moving platforms tilt and dump all of its contestants into the ocean, save for one other person. Managing to hang on through a combination of strength, luck, and grit, when the stage eventually returned to normal equilibrium, a stunned and relieved Krillin gave a victorious grin toward the surrounding cameras, as he was officially announced as the last man standing on his block.

"_**Contestant Krillin has made it through to the quarter finals!"**_

"_It… It's them… the ones from the Cell Games!"_ Hercule thought, a river of sweat beginning to pour down his face as he backed into his chair before standing. Despite nearly knocking it over, not a single person in that sky box seemed to take notice of the terrified look on his face. Not even Cash's son, who was currently preoccupied with his food. _"Wh-Why in the world are they here?"_

Did they want revenge from him for stealing their spotlight? Were they after his title? Were they aiming to discredit him in the tournament and show the world that he was a fraud? Hundreds of these questions began flying through the man's head a mile a minute, sending a cold chill throughout his body and causing his face to pale. During which time, another victor was announced to the stadium.

"_**And Piccolo is headed for the next round as well!"**_

The sight of the fearsome Namekian had the trembling Hercule clamp his hand over his mouth in horror and turn away to bite his hand. Once again his actions went conveniently unnoticed by the people in the skybox as the poor man whimpered pathetically to himself.

"This is… some kind of horrible dream. A nightmare. It has to be. There's no other explanation."

Almost on cue, two more names were thrown up onto the board. _**"Tien Shinhan and Ms Eighteen have also made the cut! What a stunning turn of events!"**_

XXX

The preliminary matchups were quickly wrapped up as the last of the advancers were decided shortly thereafter. As soon as their battles came to an end, the quarter finalists were then escorted down to the lowest platform on _Battle Island_, where every single camera and spectator were directed to capture the coming round. Gathering in the fighter's waiting area, the Z-fighters quickly did a head-count on who'd made it and who hadn't.

While Tien stood off to the side with Piccolo, lamenting on the fact that his friend Yamcha had been knocked out in the first round yet again, they along with Krillin couldn't help but notice Android 18 was also standing amongst them, not looking particularly interested in anything.

Arms folded and completely oblivious to the attention she was receiving from a lot of the men around her, all of whom found her appearance absolutely enchanting, a nervous Krillin gulped and slowly approached the blonde. When he stopped beside her, he saw the female's gaze turn to him.

"H-Hey there, Eighteen," Krillin greeted, rubbing the back of his head anxiously as he looked up at the beautiful android. "Long time no see. How are you?"

Expression remaining mostly unchanged, the woman turned away with a grunt, "Fine, I guess."

"Man. I didn't expect to see you competing today. I suppose you're here for the prize money like the rest of us, huh?" the man asked.

In response Android 18 shrugged, "Sort of. I saw this competition on the news a few days ago and figured I should come by to check it out… see what it's like." She then flicked some hair back over her shoulder. "It's not like I really had anything better to do."

"Well… it's always nice to get out in the world and have a walk around… or in our case fly," Krillin remarked with a bit of a laugh. "Considering who else is here today, I doubt I'll be able to get very far in this competition. The best I can hope to do against these guys is flail about uselessly. But I'm sure you'll get through to the finals no problem."

Feeling her cheeks heat up a little, the blonde woman casually shrugged off his compliment as if it were a regular thing. "Yeah. Duh."

Feeling happy to hear the woman was at least bantering with him, the bald fighter then gave her a pleasant grin, "You're looking great by the way." His sincere comment earned a look from Eighteen, followed shortly by a warm smile.

"Thanks."

While Gohan watched his father's best friend conversing with the stunning android, he then noticed the monitor nearby flicker into life and a list of all the advancing contestants appear on screen. Moments later the monitor showed an image of all the quarter finalist's pictures and profiles arranged into a tally, showing everyone around the world who would be fighting who in the rounds to come.

"_**Thank you for waiting, ladies and gentlemen! The match ups for the eight quarter finalists have now been decided! In the first round we have young Son Gohan versus the mighty Udo! Second matchup is between rookie sensation Trunks and former martial arts champion Tien Shinhan! After that, Piccolo and Krillin will battle against one another in the third round, while in the fourth we have Ms Eighteen and Sky Dragon competing for the final spot! I'm sure we're in for some amazing performances from these fierce warriors!"**_

As the crowds began clamoring with excitement and making bets with the officials as to who would be advancing into the next rounds, a previously at ease Krillin gaped in disbelief.

"What? I'm fighting Piccolo?" The man then groaned and visibly let his shoulders drop. "If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any." His remarks earned an amused smile from Android 18.

When the man looked across at where Piccolo was standing, he saw the Namekian shoot him a smirk. This only served to increase the bald fighter's misery.

With their names and profiles announced the referee then called up the first two contestants, Gohan and Udo casually making their way onto the stage. The crowds cheered and applauded encouragingly when the pair stepped out onto the circular platform. But as soon as the people saw the two martial artists stand against one another, all the cries of celebration quickly dispersed.

The man Gohan was set to fight against was a giant of a warrior; a burly wrestler with an enormous stature, heavy jaw, blonde hair and bushy mustache. Wearing a pair of blue fighting boots and a red speedo, the very western martial artist practically towered over his younger, smaller opponent, looking like he could beat anyone simply by stepping on them. Needless to say it was a pretty grim situation.

Despite facing off against such an imposing and menacing foe, Gohan didn't appear fazed in the slightest and simply stared back at the yellow-haired man.

Videl meanwhile, having found a spot up on one of the baloneys above, hung over the side and called out in support of her blond friend. "Go Gohan! Don't hurt him too badly!" Her confidence in him was high. After fighting with him head to head, she knew that he was more than capable of dealing with this brute.

Clearing his throat, the supervising referee yelled into the mic, _**"Contestants take your stances!"**_

Raising an eyebrow at the child standing in his shadow, the thoroughly disappointed Udo huffed, "Huh. I'm fighting a baby? This has got to be some kind of joke." Making a note to see his agent later onwards, the man then placed his hands on his hips and leered at his opponent intimidatingly. "Hey, listen kid, I'm not too keen on pummeling children. However, since I'm a man of good sport, I'll be more than happy to dance around for a bit and give you a couple of free shots. How does that sound?"

Gohan chuckled at the man's offer, "You don't have to pull any punches against me, sir. Believe me, I can take them." Placing his fist into his open palm, he then bowed respectfully to the martial artist. "Let's have a good match."

A tick-mark formed on Udo's forehead as he felt like he was being messed with. "Heh. You've got a lot of guts kid… and I'm gonna show them to yah!" The second the bell went, the man leaned down for a grab.

The second he saw his foe move, Gohan acted. Casually darting forward in a blur, Gohan lazily swept the man's feet out from under him, sending the poor wrestler flying off of the platform. Like a cannon-ball, the stunned Udo let out a cry of fright as he was propelled from the ring, crashing through a solid wall of rock and a spectator stand before his body went soaring over the ocean and into the distance.

The splash he made several seconds later could be seen about two kilometers away.

The entire island sat in stunned silence, while Chi-Chi sprang from her seat and jabbed her fist into the air, "Boo-yah! That's my son! Woo!"

Elsewhere, Videl, at first appearing dumbfounded from the blonde's decisive win, then clenched her fists and raised them in the air triumphantly, "Yes! That was awesome, Gohan!" Damn. She figured the kid was strong. She didn't realize he was THAT strong._ "Wow. He's amazing."_

XXX

Upon making a literal impression in the audience and on the island itself in the shape of a large, Udo-shaped hole, Gohan happily vacated the ring and high-fived Trunks on the way back into the waiting room. This cleared the way for the next two contestants called onto the stage moments later by the referee, who needed to take a moment to process what had just happened in the first match.

"_**N-Next we have Trunks and Tien Shinhan! Fighters, please take your positions!"**_ the man shouted, a little too late as both martial artists were already out on the platform and warming themselves up.

Watching on a television in the food court inside the island, an intently listening Chiaotzu, Oolong and Puar waited with anticipation as their next pair of teammates readied themselves for their match. Looking at the way they were stretching and facing off against one another, they were more than eager to get this fight underway.

"Yeah! Go Tien," the little mime fighter spoke as he sat at his table with drink in hand.

Chewing loudly on a kebab, the bored looking pig in the Hawaiian top waved his stick in the air flippantly, "Though it's obvious who's going to win, it's always good to stay positive."

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy, Oolong," the floating cat Puar chirped as she hovered around her pig friend's seat.

Master Roshi meanwhile, not really paying attention to the competition, was trying to hit on some young girls gathered at the table nearby. Unfortunately as he was trying to put the usual old man moves on them by asking what kind of swimsuits they wore, he was quickly chased away by a pepper spray, which had him running to the bathroom to wash his eyes out.

Back out on the arena, the two Z-fighters had finished preparations. Knowing that this was where the real battle was about to begin, Tien promptly removed his white shirt and tossed it away, revealing his scarred, muscular body to his foe. After a few more deep breaths and shoulder rolls, the three-eyed fighter smiled at his opponent.

"Hey, Trunks. Whaddaya say we give these people a good show?"

In response, the lavender haired warrior from the future nodded, "Sure. Whenever you're ready."

Under the cheers and exclamations of the crowd, the starting horn blared. The moment it did, both Trunks and Tien vanished into two fast-moving blurs, which bounded up the island from platform to platform before intercepting one another in the sky above. The moment the two fighters collided, shockwaves rang out as the pair engaged one another in a furious dogfight of lightning fast blows and parries.

Darting through the sky faster than the human eye could see, Tien and Trunks traded attacks in a superb display of aerial combat, trading and deflecting attacks one after the other. Crisscrossing one another multiple times in an attempt to catch the other off guard, the half-Saiyan suddenly spun at Tien with a kick, forcing the human to dodge and slip behind the warrior.

Seeing an opening, Tien rushed in with a blur of palm strikes and kicks, only to watch Trunks slip between his blows before countering with a spin kick from the side. The lightning fast blow connected with the triclops's chest, causing a sonic boom to ring out and sending the human plummeting towards the ocean. But just before Tien could hit the water, the man corrected himself mid-fall and swiftly regained altitude, tearing a trench across the surface of the water before shooting back up into the air.

XXX

Up in Cash's skybox, which had attached itself to one of the island's walls, the family and reporters inside looked on in astonishment as the contestants on screen disappeared from the arena's surface and reappeared in the sky above the island. It was here the specially designed cameras from Capsule Corp did their best to track the fighters as they became locked in a furious fist fight above the landmass.

The crowds were stunned, as was X.S Cash, Lotta and their son Monty.

"Th-They're fighting in midair," the husband remarked in disbelief. Though he was unable to understand what the heck was going on, all he knew was that it was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen.

Appearing nervous as well, Lotta turned to her husband inquisitively. "Honey, are you sure they're not using wires?" Her question was promptly silenced when a shockwave from the two Z-fighters went off close to their sky box and rattled the balcony, drawing startled yelps from all the family members present.

More sonic booms lit up the sky over the island as both Tien and Trunks chased each other and clashed between the structures, neither one wanting to lose ground. While they were careful to keep all of their attacks away from the audience, they certainly weren't going easy on their opponents either and were determined to knock the other person out of the competition.

Alarmed at the startling turn of events, the reporter Charlotte, who was sharing the skybox along with a couple other crews, approached a nervous-looking Hercule Satan and held the mic out to him. Having the device unexpectedly shoved into his face drew a startled cry from the man.

"Mr. Satan. Can you please comment on these extraordinary events?" the brown haired reporter asked as calmly as she could. "How are these two men able to defy the laws of gravity and battle one another above the island?"

Initially unable to form a response, the Champ quickly shook himself out of his reverie and barked out an answer, "It's a simple parlor trick! You just make a quick change with smoke and mirrors and what-GAAAAH!" The man was promptly cut-off from his explanatory tirade when another explosion went off right above them, shaking the viewing area and knocking everyone to the ground.

The moment Hercule face-planted the floor, he let out a light whimper of disbelief. "Why… out of all the tournaments… out of all the competitions in the world did they have to enter mine? I hate this…" the Champ whispered, inadvertently parody-quoting _Casablanca_ at the same time.

XXX

More shockwaves tore through the sky as Tien and Trunks doggedly traded shots between the stands and towers. After blocking a simultaneous hook and knee from his Saiyan opponent, the three-eyed warrior countered him with a swift kick to the stomach and shot up into the sky. Sensing his opponent was in hot pursuit, the senior Z-fighter quickly positioned himself high above the landmass and, pressing his fingers and thumbs together, formed a diamond-shape crosshair with his hands.

Taking aim with it, Tien quickly centered his opponent in the space between his palms, focusing his energy and zooming in on his quarry. As soon as he was ready, the man shouted at the top of his lungs. _**"KI-KO-HOOOOOOOOO!"**_ A flash of orange light then filled the sky as a perfectly square blast shot from his grip, rocketing towards his foe and colliding with the young man head on.

A sphere-shaped explosion of orange fire filled the sky as the landmass was rocked by its shockwaves, knocking people out of their seats and causing massive waves to ripple across the ocean. The people on the boats below had to hang on for dear life as the gales of wind generated by the blast nearly capsized them, with the people in the bleachers giving a unified cry of fright.

Ignoring the explosion and the debris cascading around them, Tien and Trunks engaged one another a third time. The pair charged and collided with their opponent in the air, trading simultaneous blows before the human fighter managed to nail a hook across his opponent's face. The blow sent both warriors flying back from one another, where they quickly found themselves floating just a few feet above the ocean.

As waves from the previous sonic blast crashed around them and sent water spraying into the air, under the 'oos' and 'aahs' of the audience, the two warriors smirked at each other.

Tien's expression then became one of seriousness. _"He's still holding back a great deal of his strength. Well… if he wants to win this, he's going to have to work for it."_ Clenching his fists, the man let out a yell and powered up, his white aura exploding around him in a white arc of transparent fire. Concentrating even more, the human warrior let out another yell of pain as a second pair of arms suddenly shot out from his shoulders, signaling his use of his _**Four Witches Technique**_.

The shocked look that appeared on Trunks's face gave Tien the opening he needed to rush forward and throw a right straight at the Saiyan with his two arms. His fists slammed into the wall and smashed a massive chunk out of the concrete when the half-Saiyan shot up into the sky to avoid his blow and gain some distance.

When he stopped several stories above his opponent, Trunks threw his arms and legs out and, with a yell of effort, also powered up. A golden aura burst out of him like wild fire as his hair spiked up and flashed blond, his eyes also turning green. The spectators, completely overwhelmed by the spectacle, gave a loud cheer of excitement, encouraging the warriors to show them more.

XXX

(Meanwhile)

(Capsule Corp – West City)

Lying across his bed in the room provided for him at the renowned industrial super-giant's headquarters, the Prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta, adorned in his signature battle armor and spandex, was currently watching the live-feed of the _Intergalactic Martial Arts Tournament_ taking place on the other side of the globe.

After initially flipping through random channels to see what was on, the man quickly settled on the sports broadcast and, with a look of utter displeasure, proceeded to watch with mixed-interest as the Z-fighters, sans Yamcha and Chiaotzu, went on to dominate the tournament's preliminary rounds.

It seemed like things were off to good start moving into the quarter finals. But after seeing Trunks transform against Tien and start fighting him for a second bout, Vegeta quickly grew bored and, picking up the remote, switched off the television.

"Hmph. What a joke," the man scoffed, before lying back on his bed with his hands behind his head.

Fighting, particularly the little circus their group was currently attending on another part of the planet, didn't interest him in the least. So, deciding to take a nap, the man shut his eyes and drifted out, completely ignoring the television and his time-traveling son's sword gleaming in the corner.

XXX

(Back on Battle Island)

"Well… Tien's had it," Krillin murmured, arms folded as he leant back against the guard rail of the viewing area and watched the battle between their two friends carry on overhead. As shockwaves and explosions once again filled the sky, the human fighter sighed. "Now that Trunks has transformed, it's only a matter of time before the poor guy gets tagged. There's just no stopping a Super Saiyan."

"I don't know," Android 18 said with a slightly more interested look as she watched Tien dart around his golden opponent. "I think I've had a fairly successful track record."

This earned a laugh from Krillin as he looked back up at the woman with a smile, "True. If it comes down to it, you have a pretty good chance of taking him on yourself." Sniffing, the man then looked back towards the clouds, where he saw Trunks dodge a series of _**Dodon**_ bullets being fired at him from his four-armed foe. "For us normal guys though, facing off against a Super Saiyan, a Super Namek… or anything else with Super in its name is suicide."

"Ah, don't be like that, Krillin," Gohan spoke up, looking across at his friend from where he was standing next to Piccolo, who was keeping a close eye on the battle above. "Even though Trunks has the advantage in speed and power, Tien can still win this fight if he just knocks him into the water."

Krillin scoffed and glanced back out into the open, "That's easier said than done, man."

Watching Tien suspend himself in the sky after an epic shootout with his opponent, the man snapped all four of his hands to form two diamonds, one in front of the other, over his chest. Once again taking aim at his Super Saiyan foe through the crosshairs, the man's white aura blasted around him and, with a mighty bellow, unleashed another _**Kikoho**_ towards his foe. His orange, square-shaped blast gushed from his hands and rocketed towards Trunks, who was seemingly swallowed up by the head of the attack as it shot off into the horizon.

From satellite orbit, you could clearly see Tien's blast streak across the planet's surface and out into space, leaving an orange trail of energy in its wake.

For a second it looked as though the human had disintegrated his opponent. But when the blinding light and smoke from his awesome attack faded, the entire crowd winced when Trunks suddenly materialized behind Tien and smashed the three-eyed fighter straight into the water.

When the splash and waves from the man's impact with the ocean settled, a cheer went up and the referee announced the winner, _**"After a fierce and explosive battle, Trunks emerges victorious!"**_

"Oh well. Guess it's my turn," Krillin sighed, before turning to Android 18 and giving her a lopsided smile. "Wish me luck?"

In response, the blonde woman smiled back at the short warrior, "Good luck."

Feeling his spirit lift somewhat, Krillin then turned to head out, but not before giving Gohan a firm pat on the shoulder. "If I don't see you in the next few minutes, go check the emergency room or the far wall. There's a pretty good chance I'm going to end up in one of those two places." This earned a puzzled look from the young Super Saiyan, who watched his friend trudge out onto the platform with his head hung.

After Trunks helped an exhausted Tien out of the water, the audience then turned their attention to the next pair of fighters, the announcer being sure to inform the island of the coming round. _**"The third match is about to begin as Piccolo and Krillin square off in the center platform!"**_ The crowds clamored excitedly when they saw the two strange warriors march into the open, anticipating another epic match.

Looking as nervous as ever, Krillin gulped as he saw his Namekian opponent stand across from him on the ring, his shoulder turned, eyes closed and arms crossed. _"Okay. Krillin, my man. You can do this. You can do this. You know this guy. He is __**not**__ unbeatable."_ His expression then became one of complete dread. _"Well unless he uses his Special Beam Cannon, then I'm dead."_ For a moment he completely forgot that this was a competition where killing was strictly forbidden.

"_**Challengers get ready!"**_

Shaking his head, the bald fighter did his best to rid himself of all anxiety and quickly set himself into a stance._ "I may not be able to beat him. But if I'm going down, I might as well go in style."_ He then spared a look back at the viewing balcony, where he not only saw Gohan standing there and watching excitedly, but Android 18 as well. Feeling his heart skip at seeing the woman, her radiant golden locks framing her angelic face, the man's expression then changed from one of nervousness to determination. Smile forming, he gave the android a thumbs-up, causing Eighteen to blink in surprise before he spun around to face his opponent. "Yeah. In style!" When the bell rang out, Krillin crouched low and took off, letting out a loud battle cry as he charged straight at his opponent.

Piccolo however, his eyes remaining shut, heard his attacker approaching at full speed. When Krillin lunged in with a punch, the Namekian simply took a step back and let the fighter fly past him. Stumbling when he missed, the monk suddenly tripped over his own feet when he hit the brakes, slammed into the ground and slid across the platform on his own face.

The crowd laughed when they saw Krillin stop with his bottom half sticking in the air, whereas Gohan, Trunks and Tien cringed, as that maneuver must have hurt like hell. Eighteen on the other hand simply giggled, watching as the short fighter pulled his face out of the tiles and spat out random bits of debris, his face reflecting several noticeable scuff marks.

"Okay. I mistimed that," Krillin mumbled, before leaping back up and rushing right at Piccolo, jumping at the green warrior with spinning hook kick. "Take this!"

The kick struck the Namekian's arm when Piccolo reached up to block, upon which he then grabbed the human's ankle and shoved him off, causing the bald fighter to let out a yelp as his body fell out of the air and slammed into the ground a second time. Groaning, Krillin back flipped and landed on his feet several yards away, thrusting his hands towards the Namekian and firing off a ki blast.

Using his same arm to block, Piccolo knocked the blast back at Krillin, who let out a scream and dove out of the way, his attack hitting the ocean and causing a large explosion. Rolling along the floor, the man held up both hands again and unleashed five more blasts in rapid succession. "Ya! Ya! Ya! Ya! YAA!" Once again Piccolo casually slapped them aside with both hands, before pointing his hand at Krillin and firing off an orange blast of his own.

Freaking out, Krillin quickly pulled off a matrix and bent backwards, barely avoiding the blast that streaked over him and took a chunk out of the surrounding island. Breathing a sigh of relief, he then shot back up, dropped to his knees and fired another blast at Piccolo, only this time he aimed for the man's feet. His attack struck the ground and kicked up a cloud of smoke and dust, which had the Namekian raise an eyebrow when his sight was completely blocked.

After performing a swift backhand to clear the air with a gust of wind, Piccolo saw that his opponent was gone, only to then hear the sound of a yell seconds later.

"HAAAAA! SNEAK ATTACK!" Krillin shouted as he lunged at his opponent from behind with a punch.

Unfortunately for the monk the tall Namekian heard him and simply stepped out of the way, causing the short Z-fighter to fly past him a second time. Thanks to the man's cape getting in the way, Krillin flew right into its folds and ended up clotheslining himself, a split second before barreling over the edge of the cliff. Screaming as he fell, Krillin started flapping his arms and legs in panic to regain altitude.

Floating back up to the arena's level, Krillin suddenly felt the back of his gi grabbed from behind and his body tossed back onto the ring. Landing with a heavy thump, the short fighter looked up to see Piccolo glaring down at him.

"Are you going to take this fight seriously… or are you just gonna keep messing around?" When all he received from Krillin was a confused blink and a mumble, the Namekian grunted and turned around. "Figures. This is just a big waste of my time. I'm out." With a swish of his cape, Piccolo leapt off the platform and took flight, his form shooting up into the sky and disappearing into the distance a split second later.

For a moment nobody knew what was happening. But after seeing the green fighter vanish into the clouds, the main referee hopped onto the platform and pointed towards the victor. _**"Piccolo has forfeited the match! Krillin wins by default!"**_

As cheers and applause rained down upon the arena several moments after the announcement, a bewildered Krillin let out a relieved chuckle, "Oh. I won. Heh. That's a surprise."

After watching his mentor and best friend fly off, Gohan then glanced to his left when he heard the soft, cool voice of Android 18 speak up.

"He's pretty cool."

The demi-Saiyan blinked at the beautiful blonde for her unexpected remark, "Who? Piccolo?"

"Krillin," Android 18 replied, a fond smile on her face as she watched the bald fighter stand up and wave to the crowds victoriously.

Gohan was at first confused by why the woman had said that. But after seeing her gaze focused solely on Krillin and his brain quickly figuring out that her comment was meant for the human fighter, the young Super Saiyan allowed a warm smile to cross his lips and turned back to face the arena.

"_**Last but not least, we have Ms Eighteen vs Sky Dragon!"**_

XXX

(Sometime later)

Nobody ended up missing out on much in the fourth round. Following the rather hilarious performance by Krillin against the intimidating force that was Piccolo, Android 18 ended up winning her fight by carelessly flicking her opponent off the platform and into the water. This in turn pulled the curtain over the quarter final rounds and led them straight into the semis.

The referees announced that the competition would be moving on to its second stage right away and instructed all the spectators and fighters to remain where they were, as they were now taking the tournament to their next venue. This soon led to the tiny _Battle Island_ disconnecting from the mainland and beginning a straight trek out into the ocean.

While this wasn't at all normal by any stretch of the imagination, it turns out that the first _Battle Island_ arena that the fighters and audience were on wasn't a fixed landmass at all. It was in fact a massive ocean vessel that was designed to not only host the first rounds of the intergalactic tournament, but to also transport all the contestants and paying customers to the next grand stage on _Battle Island II_. This atoll, with two enormous, dormant volcanoes making up its topography, with a stadium wedged in the center of the largest edifice, would serve as the grounds for the final part of this impressive event.

Those that'd partaken in the festivities on the first platform would get front row seats to the events on the second. The journey up to the stadium from the city on the shore wasn't long by any stretch of the imagination, as a fleet of trams and buses helped the spectators reach their destination from the shoreline.

Everyone was keen to get the next stage underway, all except for Mr. Satan, as X.S Cash's assistant actually ended up catching the Champ attempting to jump ship while the island was in motion. After being personally escorted to _Battle Island II_ by the tournament staff, the martial arts champion retired to the nearest bathroom after coming down with some sort of chronic and "life-threatening" stomach ache. Not knowing what to do, the tournament assistants would up leaving the man to his devices.

Once all the spectators had been filed into the massive dome and directed to their seats, the staff helped to escort the four challengers to their room directly beneath the arena itself. It was here in this lavish and stately waiting area that the finalists were able to rest-up, eat, drink, mingle, and get in a few last minute stretches before they were required to report to their assigned elevators.

'_Wait here until we call for you,'_ the staff member said before vacating the premises, leaving the four warriors to their own devices.

The group of fighters made themselves comfortable, with Trunks leaning against the wall, Krillin fighting a spot sitting next to Android 18, and Gohan, eager and energetic as always, wandering about the living room and enjoying the snacks they had on the nearby table. Considering he was in Super Saiyan mode, his metabolism was working on a much higher gear and needed to be sated. Even with the pressure of the tournament, he was still able to dine and walk around with a skip in his step.

Noticing the bright smile on the young Saiyan's face brought one to the observing Trunks's.

"You sure seem keen," Mirai chuckled.

Gohan nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yeah. Very. This is the first martial arts tournament I've ever competed in and I actually made it into the top four on my first try."

"And in such a huge event too," the man continued with a nod to the abovementioned proceedings.

Finishing the sushi he had on him, Gohan set his plate down and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "What about you, Trunks? Is this your first tournament?"

"Yeah. Thanks to all the chaos and havoc the androids caused back in my time, the _World Martial Arts Tournament_ was shut down for good, and all available resources that went into hosting the event went to providing aid and support to the rest of the world," Trunks replied, folding his arms as he conversed with his fellow Super Saiyan hybrid. "Now that they're gone, we can finally start rebuilding our cities and our lives."

"You and the people on your Earth deserve peace," Gohan said, giving the man an encouraging smile. "The battles you and the others have fought are all over now… and now you'll finally be able to move on. Make the most of your life and protect your loved ones."

A warmth filled the man's heart at hearing the words from the boy who would eventually grow up to become his mentor. "Thank you, Gohan," Trunks replied, his eyes shimmering with a series of positive emotions. Sharing a moment of silence with the strongest warrior on the planet, the time traveler then turned his attention toward Android 18 and Krillin, his eyes fixating on the former and narrowing suspiciously.

Also noticing the pair conversing on the corner couch, Gohan looked across at them and observed their conversation in silence, noticing the short fighter giving compliments to Eighteen, with his jokes and lines earning a series of smiles and giggles in return. Though it wasn't the most unusual sight for the younger of the two Saiyans, it certainly was for the warrior from the future.

Expression firm, Trunks breathed a heavy sigh, "I never knew an android could smile like that." Or laugh like that either. All the emotions that she was expressing in front of Krillin felt so real and genuine, and carried a warmth that the Saiyan had never sensed before. It was slightly disconcerting if he was being honest, but not at all unpleasant.

Gohan shrugged, "It's like you said… times change. She's not like the Android 18 that you knew from your future, so there's no reason for you to think she will turn out the same way."

"Maybe," Trunks replied hesitantly, before forming a small smile. "But… as long as you guys are okay with it, I'm willing to give this a chance." Hell, it wouldn't be the first time he was surprised.

He could actually see something good growing from this, especially since both Krillin and Eighteen were so preoccupied with talking with each other that they had no idea they were being watched. It was funny and cute at the same time.

Not wanting to disturb them, Trunks and Gohan decided to stick to their conversation, with the former glancing back down at his friend with a pleasant smile.

"So I hear you're taking up training full-time now, huh?" Trunks said, earning a firm nod from the younger warrior. "And you're going to study on your own terms?"

"Uh-huh. It's the deal that I was able to cut with my mum earlier this month," the blond informed, obviously pleased with what he was able to accomplish.

"Cool. Any plans on what you're going to do later on when you're older?"

Gohan took a moment to rub his chin thoughtfully, "I was actually thinking of going into medicine and bioengineering. Become a doctor with two degrees."

"Oh. So you're going to be _Doctor_ Gohan then," Trunks remarked, testing the name out on his tongue.

"That's right. And since I'm also going to be a fighter that means I'll be able to break every bone in your body _while_ naming them," the Saiyan stated mischievously.

The way Gohan said that had a chill run up Trunks's spine. "Now there's a scary thought. And you're already the strongest man on the planet."

"Who's going to become even stronger," the teen chirped, adjusting one of the weight bands around his wrist before resting his hands on his hips. "But in case nothing else happens and no more bad guys show up, at least I'll have something worthwhile to fall back on. Even though I don't plan on stopping training, as long as my mum is happy and healthy, then I'm happy too."

Nodding in understanding, Trunks then spared a thought back to another subject of interest. "Speaking of mothers, I wonder what ours are doing right about now," the lavender haired fighter chuckled. "Wanna bet that they're arguing with each other over who out of the four of us is going to win this tournament?"

"You mean out of the _two_ of us," the Super Saiyan hybrid interjected. "Let's be honest, knowing who they are, they're definitely counting on one of us making it to the end."

"I hope you're not planning on going easy on me," Trunks commented, throwing the younger warrior a competitive smirk. He then shrugged at the look he received in return. "Everyone here came out to watch a fight, so we might as well give them one."

"First to the finish then?" Gohan asked, holding his hand out to his fellow hybrid.

"Sure," Trunks responded, extending his hand and grasping his friend's in a firm handshake.

When they separated, they then went about talking about other topics, particularly the news and anything else related to today's event. As the pair bantered, and Krillin and Eighteen continued conversing with one another in the background, Gohan couldn't help but spare a thought to one other person at this tournament, who he was pretty sure was waiting for him up in the spectator stands.

"_I hope Videl is out there watching,"_ the boy thought with a fond smile.

XXX

(Sometime later)

"_**The stage has been set for the finals on Battle Island 2; where our four remaining warriors will now compete for the coveted spot in the showdown with Mr. Satan!"**_ the announcer's voice filled the stadium, drawing a loud cheer from the waiting crowd.

The arena itself was of a basic setup; a standard colosseum amphitheater design with a steel structure built into the volcano itself. Just as the mountain wrapped around the entire dome, the rows and balconies of the various spectator stands lapped the entire perimeter of the building's interior where, instead of a conventional martial arts ring, there stood a massive stone pyramid. From it, four ramps could be seen running from the level just below the apex of the central structure, leading into four separate tunnels.

The vehicles designed to travel along this system; four identical jet pods, all color-coded, numbered and positioned at the entrance to each slide.

With spotlights beating down from the stadium ceiling, lighting up the entire platform, and every single camera transfixed upon the center stage and feeding directly to the massive monitors on the walls, the audience would be able to get full coverage of the events to come. The audience held their breaths as their anticipation started to build once more.

Having managed to navigate her way from the first island and into the stands, Videl was able to find herself a comfortable spot along the walkway running around the stadium. Standing high above the rest of the crowds so as to not get caught up in a sea of bodies, the eleven year old girl gripped the railing excitedly as she waited for the final events to start. After seeing Gohan practically kick his opponent through an entire section of earth, she knew she was going to be in for one hell of a show.

"_I know you're going to kick a lot of butt out there, Gohan,"_ Videl thought as her foot tapped impatiently against the floor. "Show me what else you've got."

When the lights on the pyramid lit up, four individual hatches on the platform opened, allowing the elevators to bring the four contestants up from underground. As their faces emerged from the tunnels, the crowd of over fifty thousand people cheered loudly, drowning the martial artists in a wash of excitement and support.

Despite the deafening noise the stadium was making, it did nothing to block out the voices from several key people sitting in the audience.

When her son's face appeared on screen, Chi-Chi cried out at the top of her lungs, "GOHAN! I LOVE YOU SWEETIEEE!"

Blushing a deep shade of red, the blonde Saiyan looked down at his feet in embarrassment. "Mum, not so loud."

Seeing Gohan's face turn red in response to the strange woman's yell caused Videl to giggle, as she guessed that that was probably his mother.

"You've got this Trunks! Go beat those guys and then we can go on vacation!" Bulma shouted shortly after her friend had.

Sharing the same response as his fellow hybrid, the blushing Trunks mumbled under his breath, "Tactful as always, mother."

"Krillin! Don't get yourself killed!" Oolong's voice also echoed in from somewhere in the stands.

The pig's comment earned a deep scowl from the bald fighter, who glanced over his shoulder in the direction he heard his friend's statement. _"Oh I'll survive. Then it's bacon time."_

Android 18 on the other hand had to contend with the whistles from the men in the audience, and while she appreciated some of their compliments, the collective cries started to get on her nerves.

"Hey, baby! Looking good!"

"You got this, sweetheart!"

"Beat those guys to a pulp!"

"Yeah! Go get em' beautiful!"

A tick mark formed on the woman's head as she glanced over her shoulder. _"Pigs."_

As soon as the lifts stopped, the rest of the lights went up and the four contestants, as well as the entire stadium, heard the commentator's voice blare into life. _**"New island, new rules! We have four tunnels underground, all of them leading to four specially designed combat zones in each direction. Now that the combatants have been assigned a tunnel, they will soon be transported to their zones via rocket pods!"**_ The tracks next to the tiny shuttles lit up, drawing the attention of the four fighters to their respective modes of transport._** "Once there, they will face off against our special guests: FIGHTERS FROM ACROSS THE GALAXY!"**_

The monitor overhead showed a recording of the four "aliens" the contestants were expected to encounter, descending an escalator in the tournament's ad campaign. Big, bulging with muscles, and dressed in ridiculous costumes, the bedazzled strangers from outer space helped increase the audience's excitement as the announcer went on with his exposition.

"_**Now pay attention, because this is where things get really good! Once a fight ends, the challenge isn't over! The victor must track down a special lift, fight off any and all other competitors in their way, and be the first to return to the center stage here in the arena. The winner will then move on to the final round against Mr. Satan!" **_This announcement drew an earsplitting roar from the crowd, who then began to chant the world savior's name… much to the embarrassment of Videl.

While Gohan and Trunks were excited at the prospects of fighting one another in the last round of the tournament, the rest of the competition didn't share the same sentiment.

"Perfect. It's a race to the finish line," a grinning Krillin exclaimed as he proceeded to clamber into his pod. "Since I'm packing the least wind resistance, that means I'll have the advantage in speed." Getting comfortable as he strapped himself in, he then watched the glass top pull over and seal shut, muffling the sounds of the crowd outside.

The other three fighters followed suit, jumping into their pods and buckling up for what they anticipated to be one hell of a ride. Even Android 18 was looking forward to this. Once the staff on site were certain the competitors were locked in, they gave a thumbs-up to the pod operators, who then informed the chiefs of staff that they were ready to go.

This information trickled down to the main commentator, who quickly hit the stop watch, _**"Let's begin the countdown!"**_ The monitors switched to a timer, which began counting down from ten. **"Nine! Eight! Seven Six!"**The audience chanted in unison, building the tension as the martial artists in the pods gripped the handle bars and braced themselves for take-off. **"Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"**Then, as soon as the timer hit zero, the horn blared. _**"Aaand… GO!"**_

With the sound of simultaneous sonic booms, the jet pods fired up their rockets and took off down their slides. Trailing smoke, the four craft vanished down their respective tunnels, covering the nearby reporters and clouds in fumes. Coughing on the dust and smoke, the reporter nearest to the launch turned towards his cameraman and grinned.

"**And they're off!"**

The Z-fighters went in not knowing what to expect. But as their pods shot through the tunnels towards their assigned arenas, what they didn't know was that their greatest battle was about to begin.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

**Author's Note:** Also, I noticed in the previous chapter a couple of people commented that Gohan was being "selfish and bratty" because of what he said to Chi-Chi in the previous chapter, and that it might be out of character because he's "too pure" to talk back to his mum because of something he wants to do.

Well, it's not out of character. People seem to forget that Gohan has stood up for himself and to his mother whenever he wanted to do something for himself, as well as concerning his friends and family. Literally, look for the video "Gohan owns Chi Chi" on Youtube. In that DBZ Kai clip, Gohan literally screams at his mother to "shut up" when he wanted to go to Namek and she didn't want him to. Not to mention- and yes, I am quoting filler here- that he demanded to go help his dad against Androids 14, 15 and 13, and just outright ditched his mother during their shopping trip, and snuck out from the house during studying so that he could go hang out with his friends during the Garlic Jr saga.

So Gohan arguing with his mother that he wants something better to do with his life isn't that farfetched of an idea. In fact it's quite believable.


	4. Bojack Saga - Team Effort

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the late update on this one. I've currently been focused on my Alter Age story for the better part of this year and I'm really enjoying writing that now. A DBZ Space Epic done right- featuring Gohan. How can I not want to write that? It's DBZ/DBS/DBGT and the DBZ movies rolled into one. Also, I've been doing a lot of work on my paetreon currently, so if anyone is keen on seeing any Gohan X (Insert DBZ girl here) related works, come check it out. I believe it is my destiny to fill the internet with Gohan related fanart, so if anyone wants to help me fulfil that dream, feel free to jump on board.

Anyway, I'll get the rest of these chapters posted as they come, as well as chapters for Alter Age and the Secret Series. Since I do all of this between my dayjob, please don't hold it against me for not being as quick with my updates as I previously was.

Hope you're all still holding out for my next updates.

Also, thanks to all of you who have voted for which girls will end up with Gohan, I've finally made my decision on how to write this the way I want to.

For those of you wondering, the voting through PMs and reviews was so close that it ended up as a tie between two.

* * *

**Dragonball Z**

_**Golden Age**_

_Team Effort_

"Woo! Yeah! This is so awesome!" Gohan cheered as his pod rocketed down his tunnel, hitting corners and powering down slopes at an incredible speed. Even though the half-Saiyan was more than capable of traveling even faster than this tiny craft, the youngster couldn't help but laugh out loud in delight at the fun he was having. "Hahaha! Faster! Faster!"

The instant the four rocket pods were sent propelling down their respective tunnels towards their selected battle zones constructed on different parts of the island, the contestants riding the fast-moving vehicles were immediately bombarded by the most visually stunning acid trips ever concocted by man. This took the form of dozens of massive hallway simulators and monitors, all of which were working in tandem with one another to project to the unsuspecting competitors all sorts of colorful animations and visuals. At first the tunnels opened up with a three-dimensional digital world taken straight out of Tron; the multiple grids and constructs concealing the paths of the individual pods as they repeatedly intersected and changed directions.

After a computer generated whale knocked Krillin's pod bouncing down his corridor, the four pods separated from their intersecting pathways and blasted towards the four quadrants of the island.

Gohan's pod traveled through the simulation of the _Milky Way_, putting the teen in momentary awe of his surroundings before he was sent rocketing towards one of the "planets" on one of the arms of the spiral galaxy. Moments later, after plummeting through the digitally rendered world's atmosphere, the Saiyan's pod was spat out over a barren wasteland of rocky tors, boulders, and rivers of lava. The young Saiyan laughed as his pod bounced off of several hills and towering stalagmites, before landing gracefully across an open patch of dirt.

On another part of the island Mirai Trunks was sent on his own trip through fairyland, his pod spiraling through a kaleidoscope of colors and corridors, before eventually being sent gliding over a boiling hot ocean of rock, sand and dust. With an artificial sun glowing brightly overhead, the lavender haired traveler from the future eventually crash landed in the middle of his desert battle zone, the copious amounts of loose sand cushioning his craft's impact.

Android 18's pod sent her on a different course to the others. After spinning through an aura borealis of crystals and stars, her prolonged trip allowing her to appreciate the full splendor of her simulated universe, the blonde's pod was soon sent soaring over an enormous lake sitting beside an immaculate field of trees and flowers. The female cyborg was able to enjoy the breathtaking view for all of a few seconds, before her craft was skimmed across the water and came to a gentle stop on the shore.

Krillin's landing wasn't so kind to him. After spinning seemingly out of control down his tunnel, the poor Z-fighter was then shot into a world of purple clouds. Bursting through the upper stratosphere, the man then crashed headlong into what he could only describe as a castle of children's building blocks. He then gave a scream of terror as he then collided with the belly of a massive teddy bear, before his pod ejected him into a pile of dolls. After knocking over the stack, he ended up plopping down onto a giant balloon.

Bouncing on it a couple of times, the disoriented Krillin blinked and chuckled nervously moments later. "Okay. That could've been a lot worse."

XXX

(With Android 18#)

Popping the hatch of his pod and exiting it, an altogether neutral Android 18 hopped onto dryland and casually wandered over to the nearby river. Pushing her way through the long grass while keeping an eye open for any potential traps or attackers, the beautiful blonde android then peered over the side of the creek to see a couple of fish swim past.

Narrowing her eyes when a tiny dragonfly flew over her shoulder to land on a nearby reed, Eighteen then followed the sweeping field towards the distant horizon. "Okay. So what happens now? Are we supposed to have a picnic or something?" the woman asked, taking note of the massive spire sitting in the distance. Figuring that was where she was supposed to go next, the female cyborg then slowly began making her way in that direction, at the same time expecting to face her opponent for this stage of the tournament.

She then began thinking about who she would end up fighting afterwards when she defeated her intergalactic competitor and made it to the finish line.

Hopefully it would be Gohan. That kid could definitely give her a solid fight and not be too aggressive or vicious about it, not to mention he was nice. But she was also hoping to fight Krillin, just for the heck of it.

"As long as I get to have some fun," the cyborg chirped, a small smile tugging at her lips.

XXX

(With Gohan)

Making his way across the hellish environment of his battle zone, being sure not to tread or land in any of the pools of lava dotting the terrain, Gohan headed in the direction of what he hoped was the finish line. Using the cluster of ki signatures in what he assumed was the stadium above as his guide, the young Saiyan covered as much ground as he could on foot, before eventually arriving at a dusty clearing. Using the open space to get his bearings, Gohan was then about to proceed to another hill, until the appearance of a silhouette in the wall of fumes ahead of him stopped him in his tracks.

Sensing the figure's presence, the adolescent Super Saiyan in the orange and blue gi smiled and straightened up to full height.

"You must be my opponent?" he half-stated, half-asked. Receiving no audible response right away Gohan then began to stroll towards the person with a sense of purpose behind each step. "I gotta say this is one heck of a place to stage a fight for the tournament. A desolate field surrounded by fire and brimstone? Guess the owners wanted to make this part of the competition as flashy and over-the-top as possible, huh?" Trying to make small talk as he ambled closer, the demi-Saiyan saw the wall of smoke begin to dissipate and his adversary emerge. "By the way, my name's Gohan. What's yours?"

"Zangya."

Gohan stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the person answer and looked up in surprise. There, standing on top of the ledge, the kid saw a beautiful, blue-skinned young woman with a curvaceous figure, long, curly orange hair that fanned around her and grew down her back, and a stunning face with sharp blue eyes and a gentle smile, framed by a pair of pointy ears. Her outfit consisted of a white vest, baggy pants with gold buckles, a sharp gold necklace, earrings, a blue, halter-style undershirt, black pull-on sleeves, purple sash, and yellow boots.

While her costume was indeed unusual, giving her a very outlandish and mystical appearance, Gohan couldn't help but notice how striking the young girl actually was, which had his cheeks heat up unexpectedly. Looking at her face, the teen's breath momentarily caught in his throat.

"_Wow. She's really pretty."_ He didn't get to say that a lot about most of the enemies he'd fought, mostly because they'd all been terrifying planet-destroying monsters. But in terms of looks and appearance, this girl was easily on par with Android 18. She was absolutely stunning.

Obviously she knew this too, as the blue-skinned beauty casually reached up and brushed aside a few of her orange locks, at the same time giving a light giggle.

After several seconds of staring at the woman on the ledge and admiring her, a sudden thought shot through Gohan's head that had him snap out of his daze. It took him a moment, but the young warrior was finally able to register to the fact that something was off about her and the hybrid narrowed his eyes on his would-be opponent.

"You're not one of the intergalactic fighters," Gohan said. He remembered seeing the previews of the event just seconds before coming down here and what the four challengers from outer space were supposed to look like. This woman wasn't any of them.

The teen's suspicions were soon confirmed when the stranger identified as Zangya shook her head. "Nope."

"Okay." Reacting instinctively, the demi-Saiyan slid his right foot back into a standing stance and clenched his fists. "Since you're not one of the challengers and you don't seem to be from any part of this planet that I know of, I take it that you're _not_ here for the competition?"

Zangya rested a hand on her hip and leaned to one side, "You catch on pretty quick, handsome."

Gohan shrugged, "Well, I am pretty sharp." He then nodded to the mysterious woman. "So who are you, exactly?"

Smiling mischievously, the alien beauty casually raised her hand and aimed it at the young teenager. "Maybe this will help answer your question." In the blink of an eye, a glowing red sphere of pulsating energy formed in front of Zangya's palm before it was fired at the blonde haired teenager at blinding speed.

On cue, the battle-ready Gohan stepped and leaned to the right, avoiding the energy ball that streaked past his head and rocketed towards the horizon. The attack impacted a distant plateau, where it detonated with the force of a small nuclear warhead and incinerated the entire section of earth in a massive, dome-shaped explosion.

A clearly impressed Zangya promptly lowered her arm, "Nice reflexes."

"Nice power." Not even bothering to look behind him, the initially surprised Super Saiyan then smirked. "Got anymore?"

"Sure." Grinning in response to the teen's question, Zangya then brought her arms above her head and crossed them over her face. The moment she did, a powerful gust of wind emanated from her body and caused her hair to stand upright. Her energy signature skyrocketing as a result, Gohan braced himself against the wind that shot off of his opponent, before he suddenly saw the woman spring off of the plateau and charge at him in a blur.

Everything happened in a flash. Gohan's right arm shot up and blocked a flying spin kick from the airborne Zangya, her leg impacting against his with a loud crack of a shockwave. The moment her attack was blocked the orange haired woman suddenly performed an aerial cartwheel over her opponent, getting behind him and spinning gracefully at him with a side kick. Parrying that blow, the blonde began deflecting and counterattacking a flurry of earth-rattling attacks from his foe, their limbs colliding and shaking the very ground beneath them.

Despite the fact that the foundations at their feet and the mesas standing around them were starting to collapse, neither Gohan nor Zangya's expressions conveyed any sense of effort. While the Saiyan's face appeared neutral and the woman still had a smile on her face, the pair continued to exchange blows until the orange haired fighter swung at Gohan's head with a deliberately wide kick.

Swaying back at the last second to avoid the blow, Gohan then slammed a hand into the dirt behind him and, while putting himself into a handstand, countered with a kick to the side of Zangya's head. Before his leg could land however, the orange haired fighter used the momentum of her missed kick to spin herself around and throw a second one down at her opponent's own head, their attacks connecting at the same time with concussive force.

The shockwave that rang out from their attacks landing simultaneously punched a crater into the floor and sent both fighters hurtling away from one another.

Stopping her flight short with a quick burst of ki, Zangya cocked her hand back and grinned. "Let's dance, cutie." She then pitched a green ball of energy at her target.

Smirking in return, Gohan deflected her curved blast with a parry and fired one right back at her. "After you."

His golden bolt of energy shot right at the woman, who quickly head-slipped it and pitched another red ball his way. Catching the attack and leap-frogging over it, Gohan then thrust both hands forward and fired a second shot at her, watching Zangya cross her arms and perform a fancy, diagonal twirl around it, during which time she lobbed two more spheres at the Saiyan. Kicking one into the sky and slapping away the second simultaneously, Gohan retaliated with a third shot, which split into three separate energy balls midflight.

In a matter of moments countless streaks of gold and red energy attacks filled the sky and began raining down upon the battlefield, which lit up the landscape in a series of fantastic explosions. In the midst of the chaos now unfolding in the arena that was starting to crumble around them, both fighters became locked in an epic aerial shootout, neither one of them missing a beat nor daring to back down.

Unbeknownst to the half-Saiyan hero, who was caught up in his battle with the powerful female, a dark presence had fallen over the island…

XXX

Up in the stadium above ground, the spectators cheered and roared loudly with excitement as they watched the young Super Saiyan Gohan going toe-to-toe with the first intergalactic fighter. Their feedback was well earned, as both the young lad and lady were putting on one hell of a performance.

While the majority of the crowd continued to applaud the fight that was now being broadcasted to them via the multiple roaming cameras in the battle zone, including Videl who was enthralled to see how well her newfound friend was doing, there were several people in the audience who weren't cheering.

Bulma blinked when she saw Gohan block another kick from his opponent on screen, before barely dodging a blast she attempted to hit him with at pointblank range. "Wow. That girl sure packs a wallop."

Watching the fight closely and seeing her son return fire with a punch to the alien girl's face, Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes worriedly. "Wait… something doesn't feel right."

The intergalactic fighters competing in this tournament were supposed to be a bunch of posers in costumes, right? If that was the case, since when was a person from _this_ planet outside of their group capable of exchanging blows with a Super Saiyan?

All of the others seemed to pick up on this too, and not just Chi-Chi and Master Roshi. Down in the food court of _Battle Island II_, where a majority of the fighters from the previous stages had ended up migrating to, Tien and Yamcha were enjoying a couple of cold beverages while catching up on current affairs.

When their attention turned to the nearby monitor running a feed of all four battle zones and they saw Gohan engage the orange haired female in battle, both fighters immediately knew something was amiss.

Quickly finishing their drinks, the two stood up and made a B-line for the stadium.

XXX

(With Trunks)

Hot.

That was the only thought currently going through Mirai Trunks's head as he continued traversing the uneven, boiling landscape of his desert battle zone. Honestly, as if the multiple moving platforms and circus arrangements of the first stage of the competition wasn't bad enough. Now they were making the contestants fight each other in landscapes that could potentially kill you simply based on their terrain and environment.

Now while he had no idea what all the other battle zones were like, he assumed they were about as harsh and unforgiving as this one. So, doing his best to ignore the elements beating down on him from all around, the young time traveler started marching in the direction of the large spire he could see in the distance. While part of him kept an extra lookout for his competition, the other part of him just wanted to get the hell out of there.

He was so focused on getting across the loose terrain that he vaguely noticed the footprints he was leaving behind disappear into the sand… and the sinkhole that started to form after marching over one of the sandy hills.

It was only when an unusual presence pinged on Trunks's radar that had him stop in his tracks and stare ahead of him in surprise. "Wait. What is that?" He then felt a power increase coming from directly behind him and spun around. "Shit!"

The moment he did, the dune he'd passed just seconds ago suddenly exploded into a cloud of dust as a massive, blue figure sprang out of the mound, lunging at him with a punch. Reacting instinctively, Trunks leapt away and deflected the man's blow with a quick hand-slap, before spinning around with a backwards heel kick, hoping to catch his attacker off guard. However, much to his shock, he saw his large assailant check his kick and retaliate with one of his own.

Ducking under it and dropping altitude, an alarmed Trunks speedily started back flipping across the sandy terrain while his enemy pursued him. Landing on a distant hill, the lavender haired warrior then sprang into the sky when the man lunged at him with a wild punch, his attack impacting the hill and causing a massive shockwave that wiped out the entire dune in a massive cloud.

Able to escape the cloud of dust, Trunks landed safely on another hill and, dropping into a defensive stance, watched the sand settle around the enormous crater, where his attacker quickly revealed himself from the veil. Standing in the ditch, the demi-Saiyan saw a large, muscular man about the same height as Piccolo with blue skin, pointy ears and an orange Mohawk, wearing white pants, a black obi, purple vest, golden gloves and boots, and various triangle-shaped jewelry all over his person. On top of the bling and the pirate-style look the strange fighter was sporting, the lavender haired warrior sensed a very strong power level radiating off of him, which matched the menacing grin he was currently throwing his way.

Frankly it had the time traveler's skin crawl.

"Okay, what's the big idea?! Are you trying to kill me or something?!" Trunks asked, not expecting one of the Intergalactic Fighters to be _this_ strong but deciding to go with it nonetheless.

Smirking, the blue fighter raised his finger and pointed it at the boy, before suddenly firing off a sharp red beam at him.

Recoiling in alarm, Trunks sprang into the air and avoided the attack that struck the dune and disintegrated it in a massive explosion. However, just before he could gain enough altitude, the demi-Saiyan was stopped dead in his tracks when he felt a strong hand grab him by the boot. Looking down in alarm, he saw his attacker had managed to jump after him and catch him at the last second, upon which the alien then ripped him out of the sky and chucked him across the desert.

Spinning as he flew a distance of about a kilometer, Trunks quickly threw himself into an aerial spin and recovered, slamming his feet into the sand and sliding to a stop. He then looked up with a start.

"Whoa, where the hell did that come from?!" The hybrid was unable to get an answer when the large fighter dove at him and thrust a punch towards his face. Trunks was able to catch the man's huge fist with both his hands, the blow causing a loud thunderclap as the Saiyan was pushed several feet back through the sand. After managing to grind himself to a stop, the sweating time traveler looked up in alarm. "_You_… you're not one of the fighters!"

The huge assailant leered, "Took you long enough."

Eyes narrowing aggressively, the lavender haired boy snarled, "Who are you?!"

"The name's Bido. Nice to meet you!" With a yell, the alien raised his other hand and thrust a punch at his smaller opponent, forcing him to dodge and ending in his fist striking the ground, causing another massive explosion of sand and dust to blast into the air, which swallowed both warriors up…

XXX

(Meanwhile)

(West City – Capsule Corp)

Springing out of his bed with a start, a bead of sweat ran down the side of Vegeta's head when his senses caught something ominous in the distance.

It at first started out with feeling Gohan's energy level climb to clash with another that was seemingly on the same level. Now while at first the prince thought that his rival's son had gotten into a clash with one of the other members of their crew, when he sensed Trunks's energy signature suddenly come into contact with another, more threatening presence, the man couldn't help but sit up when he felt all four power levels jump to a dangerous level.

Reaching out to get a better read of the situation, the nervous Vegeta then gritted his teeth. "Something's wrong." He then looked over his shoulder, his eyes falling upon his son's sword. When he saw the handle of the weapon gleam, the prince quickly took on a more resolute expression and, jumping out of bed, picked up the sheathed blade…

XXX

(Otherworld)

While the crowds down in the stadium of _Battle Island II_ were having a ridiculously fun time watching the two qualifying contestants battle the 'intergalactic warriors', who had somehow gone through some kind of awesome wardrobe change since the preview, up in the land of the dead the people watching the tournament on the magic box were having an entirely different response.

The tournament had gotten off to an exciting and very predictable start, where King Kai, Goku, Bubbles and Gregory were able to observe their friends and family clean house with the rest of the competition. It was a wild and exciting ride and, when the tournament moved into the quarter finals, they even had a good time watching the first couple of matches between the Z-fighters. However, the moment the fights for the second stage began, all excitement of the moment was replaced by a sudden sense of apprehension and fear.

The smiles on King Kai and Goku's faces quickly disappeared as they watched the two intergalactic fighters swap blows with both Gohan and Trunks across their respective terrains. When they saw the largest member of the intergalactic competition launch a barrage of tiny red energy balls at the time traveler and transformed an entire area of desert into Swiss cheese, the adult Saiyan could only blink in confusion.

"Huh? What the heck's going on down there?" Goku asked, before hearing the chair next to him clatter loudly. Looking to his right, the dead Saiyan saw his mentor scamper over to the edge of their mountain peak and, getting on his hands and knees, peer over the side. "King Kai?"

Antenna twitching as he extended his senses down to the planet, the blue guardian of the North Quadrant gasped fearfully.

"The Earth is in danger!"

XXX

(With Android 18#)

Strolling across the rich, pristine field of her battle zone with her hands in her pockets, Android 18 was taking her sweet time in admiring the scenery around her. Appreciating the sights and smells of the artificially created countryside, the blonde young woman heard the sound of chirping and looked down, where she saw a pink squirrel staring back up at her. Smiling at the little mammal's cute features and colors, the android then crouched down and reached forward to pet it.

However, before she could touch the animal, a red flash of light over her shoulder suddenly had Android 18's head snap around, before the woman sprang high into the air to avoid a red ball of energy slamming into the field and detonating in the form of a massive fireball, burning a deep crater into the earth. Landing several yards away from the point of impact, the young woman glared in the direction the attack had come from and spotted a shadowy figure crouched in a distant cherry blossom tree.

Perched comfortably in the branches, the blonde cyborg saw a large, blue-skinned man with pointy ears, orange spiky hair, and wearing a purple-headband, yellow boots, black jacket, and bunches of gold jewelry, with his hand pointed directly at the spot she'd been standing in earlier. He was also armed with a long sword with a strange tri-corner guard sheathed at his side, a sight that had alarms go off in Android 18's head.

Upon hearing the swashbuckling challenger chuckle, the blonde cyborg sneered, "Oh, you think that was funny, huh? Well I dare you to come down here and try that again! Let's see how that works out for you!"

With a cocky scoff the orange-haired assailant sprang out of the tree and darted down towards the field in a blur. Drawing his fist back and giving a loud battle cry, the man lunged at the woman with a punch, only for the cyborg to dodge and get behind him. The moment she was in range Android 18 then countered with a hook towards his face, only to watch the man catch it and lock her arm up. Surprised, the blonde then felt her strangely dressed foe pick her up and toss her across the hills.

The blonde android threw herself into a spin and slammed her feet into the floor, skidding to a stop several yards away. The moment her momentum ended she looked up at the man in alarm. "What the heck? What in the world are you?!" She was unable to finish her exclamation when her attacker came flying at her a second time with a kick, prompting the woman to duck and counter with a spinning heel kick. When he checked it, a shockwave rang out, which quickly led the two into a vicious exchange of blows across the field.

Dancing around each other, the two traded a series of blindingly fast blows, before Android 18 sprang at her opponent with a knee. A loud clang then rang out when her attack slammed into something solid, which turned out to be the edge of the man's sword that he drew halfway out of its sheath to block her attack.

The blue-skinned warrior smirked, "Someone you don't want to mess with, girl." Shoving her off, the attacker drew his weapon completely and swung down at her.

Barely avoiding the flash of his blade, Android 18 retreated through the hills, avoiding the man's swings and keeping just out of reach of his weapon. Taking flight, the woman then shot across the lake at terrific speed, watching her opponent give pursuit with a determined look on his face. Getting annoyed at being chased, the blonde woman spun around and let off a golden blast towards the swordsman, watching him cut the attack in half before lunging right at her.

Kicking his sword out of the way, Android 18 then dove back down to the lake and landed in the shallows. Before the splash had even settled the woman leapt out of the way a second time to avoid her foe crashing down on top of her, his sword slamming into the floor and splitting the ground up the shore and towards the hill. When the land shifted from the force of his valley-splitting blow, both combatants then glared one another down, with the alien wearing that oh-so-irritating smirk on his face.

Gritting her teeth, Android 18 snarled, "Who are you?"

The swordsman grinned, "Gokuha. A pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all _mine!_" the blonde responded, before thrusting her hand out and unleashing a golden blast towards the orange-haired alien…

XXX

(With Krillin)

In the children's fairytale land of cotton candy and giant teddy bears, Krillin found himself staring up at a tower of giant alphabet blocks, all stacked precariously on top of each other. Tilting his head at the unusual structure and his surroundings, the short, bald fighter placed his hands on his hips and chuckled when he observed a couple of giant pink bubbles bounce past him.

"Well… there are weirder places I could've landed. Though personally I would've preferred a nice tropical beach on an island somewhere or a backyard in a small country-" He was cut off when he noticed a black shadow fall over him and looked up. "OH CRAP!" He then jumped out of the way when two of the giant alphabet blocks on the tower came crashing down on top of him.

Krillin cried out in terror as he continued leaping from place to place, dodging more giant blocks that came dropping out of the sky one after the other. After successfully yet very clumsily avoiding all of them, the bald warrior quickly found himself backed into the face of a giant clock, where he then glared up and spotted the source of the sudden shower of enormous objects.

Floating down from the pink clouds and suspending himself upside down above the ground, the Z-fighter found himself staring at a short, blue-skinned man about the same height as him, wearing a purple turban, white pants, yellow boots, a red buckle jacket, and golden jewelry all over, giving him the appearance of a shaman. Snickering when he saw the bald martial artist freak out at the sight of him, the strange magician suddenly lifted both his arms and, with a golden glow emanating off of all of his gems, began conjuring an aura of electrical energy from his palms.

Balking in confusion, Krillin's gaze suddenly shot over his shoulder when he heard the sounds of large pieces of metal shaking, a split second before the two giant hands of the clock behind him ripped off and flew through the air. Seeing them arc dangerously close to him, the frightened human fighter leapt away, avoiding the giant blades when they shot past him. Dropping down on top of a giant drum several yards away, Krillin braced himself before giving a loud scream, his white aura blasting around him and incinerating the two giant handles when they attempted to impale him.

After dispersing of the two objects, the now more serious Z-fighter threw his hand out towards the floating mage. "Whoa, whoa! Hold on! Isn't this going a little bit too far?!"

The turban-wearing stranger chuckled, "You tell me." Holding both hands out, orange lightning then began radiating off of his body, which caused the environment around them to shimmer.

Moments later Krillin was able to watch as the funhouse landscape around him melted away and revealed a mountain forest surrounding him. Beads of sweat trickling down the sides of his face, the bald martial artist then turned to glare at the one responsible for the anomaly. If he didn't know any better, this creep was playing tricks on him.

"Okay. This is new," Krillin murmured, quickly coming to the realization that he'd been stuck in an illusion. "Not gonna lie… that was pretty freaking terrifying. So… w-what am I supposed to call you?"

The short alien grinned, "You can call me… Bujin." All of a sudden, without warning, the mysterious warrior vanished in a flicker.

Recoiling in surprise at the speed of the small warrior, Krillin attempted to track where his opponent had gotten to, before he was suddenly punched across the face. The shock of the hit sent the Z-fighter's brain bouncing all about his head, an affect that was stopped dead when Bujin darted around and nailed him in the stomach with a kick, sending the man blasting through a group of large mushrooms growing behind him, before crashing straight into the side of a cliff.

His body driven into the rocky surface of the bluff, the battered and bruised Z-fighter looked up through a half-lidded gaze, before a pained grin formed on his face. "Yep… that hurt like hell." His eyes then rolled into the back of his head and lolled forward, indicating he'd lost consciousness.

XXX

(With Gohan)

Krillin's sudden drop in energy was felt all across the island by both the spectators and the rest of the competition. His defeat was so sudden that it almost had the rest of the competitors in the other three battle zones stop mid-fight, as they had not expected one of their own to be taken out so quickly.

But the worst was yet to come.

Just as Gohan was in the middle of trading blows with his opponent atop a rocky tor, ending in both him and Zangya becoming locked in a tense and rather intimate clinching position, a sudden blip on his radar had the young Super Saiyan look up in alarm.

A powerful and incredibly malicious presence shot through his head like lightning, which had the young warrior glance over his shoulder. "Who's there?!" Tracking the energy signature to a position not too far away, the demi-Saiyan's glare quickly hardened and he looked back at his opponent, whose nose was just centimeters from his as their arms grappled for dominance. "A friend of yours?"

Zangya, frowning as she struggled to hold her ground against the ridiculously powerful boy, then forced a smirk, "More like my boss… and he's knocking on your front door."

The young Saiyan huffed, "He's calling me out, huh?" When he saw the woman nod, Gohan then gritted his teeth. "Well then… I guess I should go greet him."

Satisfied enough with her answer, Gohan decided to break off from his battle for the time being and thrust a knee up at his opponent, who blocked it with one of her own. Their attacks collided with a loud shockwave and knocked both fighters away from each other. The moment he was free, the demi-Saiyan pitched an energy ball at his enemy, forcing her to deflect it with a swift chop. Though his attack failed to do any damage, it still gave Gohan enough time to retreat and fly off to find his friend…

And with any luck the source of that malicious power level.

As he flew across the wasteland of his volcanic battleground with Zangya in hot pursuit, the young Super Saiyan couldn't help but clench his fists nervously.

"_Hold on, Krillin."_

XXX

(Otherworld)

Beads of nervous sweat running down his face, the blue Kai of the North spoke in a grave voice, "This is bad."

"You said the Earth was in danger," Goku responded from behind his mentor, with Bubbles and Gregory hovering close behind him. "But from what?"

"You mean _who_. Bojack," the trainer replied cryptically, his eyes remaining fixed on the endless yellow horizon in front of him.

Blinking when he heard the name, an equally anxious Goku pressed on for further explanation. "B-Bojack?"

"A dark demon of the worst sort; psychotic, unstable, filled with malice and rage. Long ago he tried to destroy every galaxy within the Dormideous and Kantos Sectors, and even attempted to conquer the core star systems between the four quadrants," King Kai informed, unable to hide the look of fear clearly reflected on his expression. "He and his gang rampaged across the entire universe unchecked, wrecking everything in their path and threatening to throw the entire order out of balance."

"Wow. This guy sounds a lot like King Piccolo," Goku remarked, his mind taking him back to the days he encountered the evil half of Kami and his minions all those years ago.

Agreeing with this comparison, the North Kai nodded, "Yes, but far more powerful… even more powerful than both Frieza and Cell." The man then turned towards his student, looking upon him with an anxious and foreboding expression. "He has an insatiable appetite for genocide... even going so far as to wipe out the entire population of his home planet. The survivors, terrified of his power, joined forces with him. And now, just like the Saiyans, he and his group are some of the last remaining Hera-seijins left in the universe."

It was then Goku spotted a missing plot point in his teacher's story, which had the Saiyan look at him inquisitively. "So what happened to him? Where has he been hiding all this time?" Surely someone that powerful and evil wouldn't have gone amiss by their group. Heck, with his track record, this Bojack guy could've easily given Frieza a run for his money if not supplant his position as evil Galactic Emperor entirely.

King Kai walked past his student with his hands behind his back, taking his worried meditation over to another side of the cliff, "Ten thousand years ago, my fellow Kais and I took it upon ourselves to stop him. All four of us combined our powers and sealed Bojack and his group inside a star at the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy."

This information had Goku recoil in surprise, "He's trapped in a star?"

The blue-skinned trainer shook his head, "Not anymore. You set him free when you destroyed my planet during your battle against Cell. The seal was weakened and allowed Bojack and his group to escape. Now he's returned for vengeance." The North Kai's glasses flashed, this time with fear evident on his face. "And it looks like his first target is planet Earth."

In spite of the terrifying news, Goku's confidence was unshaken, which he expressed through the smile that formed on his lips moments later. "Then he's already defeated. My son will stop him."

XXX

(Back on Earth)

Her furious battle taking her over the sweeping fields of her battle zone and into another more desolate landscape dotted by ancient ruins and rugged hillsides, a frustrated Android 18 was now finding it very difficult to keep her determined and very powerful opponent at bay.

Having tried to ditch Gokuha earlier when she felt Krillin's energy signature drop off the map, her contest of strength quickly transformed into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, where not only was she having to contend with navigating this damn carnival funhouse, but also fend off her competition. Considering the guy was far stronger than most of the other fighters she'd come across in the last few months, it was safe to say Android 18 wanted to put as much distance between herself and him as possible. The fact that he was also packing a sword gave her more inclination to stay away, even though she knew she could probably take a hit from his saber.

Darting through the sky just below the dome's surface and sporting a fresh series of cuts and bruises, the blonde cyborg proceeded with her search while simultaneously trading shots with her foe. Seeing him charging at her at high speed from below, Android 18 gritted her teeth, cocked her hand back, and lobbed a golden sphere of energy at her target. Watching him vault over it, Gokuha then came at her with a yell and a wide swing of his weapon, which the blonde ducked and countered with a swift kick to his ribs.

"Piss off!" she shouted when her blow buried into his stomach with a loud crack, causing the man to spit up as he was sent blasting back across the sky.

Taking a defensive stance as her opponent recovered, Android 18 prepared for a second bout, only to pick up the faint and familiar energy signature of Krillin nearby. Eyes widening, she then looked down towards a nearby ruined church. There, lying in the courtyard beside a damaged water fountain, she spotted the unconscious body of the Z-fighter sprawled out on the floor.

Eyes fixating on him for but a moment, the blonde cyborg gasped, "Krillin." All of a sudden Android 18's attention snapped back to her opponent and, seeing him dashing right at her, sprang up into the sky to avoid his punch. The moment she dodged the blonde prepared to launch a blast at her enemy's back, only to receive a swift kick to her spine by a second enemy appearing directly above her.

The blow sent Android 18 spinning towards the church courtyard, where she crashed beside the unconscious Krillin and sent debris pelting all across the entire quad. Groaning from the sneak attack from her blind spot, the battered cyborg craned her head and glared up towards the balcony ahead of her. There, not only did she see her armed opponent land, but a second, shorter alien in a purple turban and red jacket, both of whom were smirking broadly.

"Th-There's more of them?" Android 18 whispered shakily as her body echoed from the damage she'd taken. "Where the heck are these guys coming from?"

It was then the woman heard a new voice appear on the scene; one that was deep and reverberated menacingly across the quad.

"Company? _Good_."

The young woman then became aware of the sounds of chains jangling and heavy footsteps approaching, which drew her glare towards the doorway sitting between the two aliens in front of her. As she eyed the darkness carefully, her expression slowly transformed into one of fear and shock when, from out of the shadows of the ruined structure, she saw a third alien emerge.

Dressed in a long blue trench coat with golden buckles, a black top, white pants, red sash and yellow boots, with a bandana holding down a mane of bushy orange hair, the person she assumed was the leader of the group stepped onto the balcony and stood between his two subordinates. Also covered in golden jewelry, the towering newcomer also had a hideous scar running across his face, giving him a very intimidating appearance.

The moment his eyes settled on the android down below, the terrifying looking alien chuckled, "It's been so long... since I last massacred an entire race. Perhaps _you_ can help me get the ball rolling with this one."

Shivering where she lay, the injured Android 18 gritted her teeth nervously, "His power level… it's incredible." She hadn't sensed someone this strong since…

Easily noticing the terror gripping the woman's lithe form, the alien leader grinned and raised his hand. When he did, a green ball of energy appeared in front of his palm, the attack pulsing and steadily growing in size. Once it'd achieved critical mass, the user spoke, "Die." He then fired the attack straight down at the woman with the intent of wiping out her and the unconscious Krillin.

Android 18 gasped in horror and clenched her eyes shut, knowing right then and there that she was finished. But just as the heat of the attack fell over her and the courtyard, something amazing happened.

Just as the blast was about to hit her, a figure suddenly darted into the path of the attack and, with a grunt, smacked the attack away. The ball of green ki shot towards the horizon where, after impacting the wall of the battle zone, exploded in a massive sphere of green, fiery energy. After the blast faded moments later, it revealed a five hundred foot wide hole had been burned into the side of the chamber, with a large cityscape sitting on the other side.

Realizing she wasn't dead, Android 18 looked up, where she saw Gohan standing in front of her, his back straight and hand extended in a deflecting motion. Her blue eyes shimmered in awe when she recognized who it was, "G-Gohan?"

Glancing down at the blonde with his green eyes, the young Super Saiyan smiled softly, "Are you okay?"

Gulping, the blonde cyborg smiled in relief, "I've been better." When he offered a hand to her, she gladly accepted it and was hoisted to her feet. "Thanks."

As soon as the android was back up, Gohan quickly turned his glare back to the person who'd tried to kill her, and saw the three aliens smirking down at him. "I think you and your friends have had enough fun."

The lead alien chuckled darkly and craned his head upwards, "The child… at last."

Gripping the handle of the sword sitting in his scabbard, the alien that'd been fighting Android 18 stepped forward belligerently. "You have some nerve jumping in like that, boy," Gokuha spoke, a frown pulled across his face as he drew his weapon ever so slightly. "On your knees… or I'll cut you down where you stand."

Sensing a confrontation about to unfold, Gohan clenched his fists and braced himself, only to then see his previous opponent float down and land on the railing nearby. Glancing at her momentarily, he saw Zangya sit down on top of the stone and fold her legs, at the same time throwing her hair back elegantly.

"Cool it, Gokuha," the female Hera ordered, drawing the swordsman's gaze towards her. "That one is _my_ opponent."

Grunting at hearing the first lieutenant's order and seeing her look of warning, the swordsman stepped back and looked away. "Tsk. Fine."

As Android 18 knelt down to check on Krillin and make sure he was alright, Gohan kept his eyes fixed on all four aliens. Knowing that they were surrounded and outnumbered, the Super Saiyan had to stay sharp in case one of them decided to try anything funny. Their boss already tried to kill two of them in one go. Who's to say he won't try it again.

Before the situation could develop any further, the sound of jets rushing overhead alerted the opposing parties to the arrival of two more pods to the scene. Crisscrossing the church's airspace, a pair of figures suddenly leapt out of the small craft and dropped into the courtyard, where they skillfully landed on either side of Gohan.

Immediately recognizing the duo as Tien and Yamcha, the half-Saiyan then watched the martial artists glare across at the alien invaders.

"You murderers," Tien snarled, unable to keep the sweat from appearing along his brow when he sensed how powerful the group actually was. "You killed the Intergalactic Fighters."

Snickering, Bujin dropped down to one knee and placed a hand over his chest just like Gokuha, while Zangya merely sat on her ledge with her hand over her breast. "Those 'warriors' were trespassing. Earth belongs to my master now."

Gohan's frown deepened. "You think so, huh?"

"Not while we're still breathing," Yamcha spoke up, at the same time Android 18 stood up and joined the trio in their stand-off.

Even though the odds were now even, the Z-fighters were still at a major disadvantage. Their enemies were strong, as clearly indicated by the nervousness etched on the faces of the two male humans in the formation. Though they were also quite strong in their own humble rights, these invaders were in an entirely different league.

In support of his master, Gokuha, still poised on one knee, raised his hand and gestured it grandly over the landscape, "Master Bojack has no equal. There isn't a single being in this universe capable of standing up to his might."

"He has conquered hundreds of worlds and destroyed countless others… uncontested and undefeated," Zangya informed, twirling a finger through her hair when she saw the Z-fighters' eyes land upon her. "All those who were brave enough to think otherwise have ended up crushed beneath his heel."

"Master is not patient. You would be wise to stand down," Bujin informed. When he saw the group of four glance in his direction, the cretin in the turban leered. "Or better yet… _kneel_."

"Oh, I would love to, but uhh…" Gohan began before glancing in Zangya's direction and patting his left thigh, "Fighting your subordinate over there has given me a bit of a cramp in my left leg, so I'm afraid... kneeling will be hard." His exhausted sounding comment drew a snicker from the orange haired woman, while Bujin and Gokuha frowned.

The child's audacity caused Bojack to chuckle, "I bet you won't be saying the same thing after I'm done slaughtering all of your friends and loved ones." When he saw the boy's smile vanish, the leader of the group leered. "I'll make you watch as I kill every last person on this island. Right down to the last man, woman and child. You will listen to their screams and feel their pain, so that you remember every last detail of their deaths. And once every single person has been bled dry and your beloved home world has been brought to ruin, only then will I allow you death's sweet release."

Though the demon's declaration sent a cold chill through Tien, Yamcha and Android 18's bodies, all it did was make Gohan's expression harden. Glancing down at Krillin's unconscious form, the demi-Saiyan's head then became filled with even more images of his friends and family lying dead around him, including Bulma, his mother, Videl, and Piccolo. Feeling a rush of anger swell up inside of him at the alien's threats, the young warrior then took a deep breath to calm himself, turned, and spoke in a firm and unwavering tone of voice.

"I promise you… I will never let that happen."

A malicious grin then crossed Bojack's face, "We'll see." The man then lifted his head high to look down at his prey. "It's ironic that your father's death in the realm of the Kais was the key to our escape. I want to thank him personally for his deed, but I think you and your companions are going to have to do it for me." After which he then gave a stiff nod to his subordinates.

Without needing further instruction Bujin and Gokuha leapt from their spots on the balcony and charged at the group in the courtyard below. However, just as they were about to clash headfirst with Gohan and his friends, a flash of orange from their right suddenly caught their attention, forcing the two aliens to cut their attack short. They managed to leap back just in time to avoid a drill-shaped beam shooting past them at the speed of light. As a result the corkscrew blast shot past the ruins and struck the barrier wall on the other side of the battle zone, destroying it in a massive explosion of fire and rubble.

Frown appearing on his face, Bojack and his crew turned to where the attack had come from and instantly spotted a tall, green figure with a white cape floating in the sky above them, his arms crossed and a serious look on his face. The sight of the mysterious figure had the invading aliens tense up, whereas the Z-fighters gathered down below breathed collective sighs of relief.

Gohan was especially happy, shooting a grin up at his old mentor. "I was wondering when you were gonna show up."

"I sensed a disturbance. So I came back to check things out," Piccolo replied, his eyes then panning across to the group of invaders standing nearby. After counting the number of enemies there were and the source of the ominous power level he'd sensed earlier, the Namekian grunted and reached up to grab his turban. "And I'm glad that I did, because it looks like you've finally found yourselves a decent fight." Tossing away his headwear and his wide-shoulder cape, the man then brought his knuckles up and cracked them one at a time.

Sneering irritably, the leader of the aliens then watched the newcomer fly down to join the rabble, where he then stood alongside the rest of his comrades defensively. Noticing that the Z-fighters' numbers had increased once again, Bojack knew that things had become a lot more troublesome for him and began tapping his finger against his arm impatiently.

Zangya meanwhile, still sitting comfortably on her perch, couldn't help but giggle, "It looks like things have gotten a lot more interesting."

As Gohan, Yamcha, Android 18, Piccolo and Tien stood in a row, sizing up their opponents and their strengths, the latter of the group then spoke. "What can you make of these guys so far?"

"All of them are seriously strong and all of them are really good fighters," Gohan replied, his eyes narrowing as he glanced from Zangya to Gokuha. "If I had to guess, they're probably even stronger than those clones Cell created to attack you guys during his tournament."

This news had Yamcha's eye twitch and jaw clench, as he remembered the outcome of that battle all too well, "That… doesn't bode well for us, does it?"

"No. It doesn't," Tien answered while clenching his fists. "But I'll be damned if I'm going down without a fight."

His attention settling back on their boss, Gohan inhaled deeply, "They're also really well organized. The way that they move and fight is like how a group of highly trained soldiers would operate. If we try to go after their boss, they will just attack us from behind and pick us off one by one." He then clenched his fists and started raising his power level at a steady rate. "I'm not taking any chances. I'll go Super Saiyan 2 and take them all out in one shot-"

"Wait," Piccolo suddenly spoke, causing the youngster to look across at him in surprise. Expression unchanged, the ever serious Namekian then continued calmly, "Remember what your father and I taught you. Pace yourself. Don't go all out until you've figured out what your opponent is fully capable of. As far as we know we've only seen a fraction of the enemy's strengths and abilities. And there are four of them. If you try going at them at full power, they might have a nasty surprise waiting up their sleeves." Looking at the aliens faces, they could clearly see the composed yet smug expressions all of them were currently wearing.

That didn't exactly fill the group with much confidence.

At this, Gohan then nodded in understanding, "Alright."

"Your Ascended Saiyan form is your trump card. Feel them out in your base form then, once you've forced their hand, go for it," Piccolo instructed, before a smirk appeared on his lips and he glanced down at the boy, which prompted his former student to look up at him. "And don't forget we're fighting too. There's no need for you to carry the weight of the entire planet all by yourself, kid. This is our home as much as it is yours."

After staring up at his master in awe for a moment, Gohan then smiled and nodded in understanding, before looking around at the others. When he saw the smiles on Tien, Yamcha and Android 18's faces, he knew that they were in this too. So, with the stage set and the prizes weighed, the half-Saiyan turned his focus back to his opponent. He saw Zangya still perched on her railing, twirling a finger through her long orange hair casually, which prompted him to smirk.

"It would be pretty rude of me to cut our duel short," Gohan replied, his Saiyan blood starting to boil as he clenched his fists excitedly.

This earned a grin from the bewitching blue alien as she uncrossed her legs and swayed them back and forth in front of her like a teenage girl would. "Orders, boss?"

When Bojack leered down at the group and saw all of them assume fighting stances, the leader then cocked his head to the side and nodded to them. "Take them."

Without another word, both Bujin and Gokuha raised their hands and fired two red blasts at the group. In return the Z-fighters, namely Gohan and Tien, retaliated with two golden blasts of their own, their attacks colliding with their enemy's and detonating with the force of a nuke. As flames engulfed the entire area and turned the artificial estate into a half mile crater, through the smoke and the debris Gohan landed a safe distance away with Krillin in his arms. Upon setting his friend safely behind a boulder, he then sprang out of the cloud's radius and into the sky where, upon looking down at the smoldering fissure below, watched Zangya burst of the smoke and come chasing after him.

Parting the dust with her speed, the grinning Hera-seijin then gave a loud battle cry as she struck at Gohan with a flying right overhand, which collided with the boy's cross-arm guard, sent him through the dome's barrier and into the next battle zone. Upon which the pair once again engaged one another in a furious exchange of blows, shockwaves ringing throughout the sky like invisible fireworks as the pair streaked across the artificial sky of the battle zone in a blurred, aerial fistfight.

As the wall between the two battle fields turned to rubble and cascaded to the ground, shaking the region with its collapse, the other Z-fighters also retreated into the next zone, a massive, gothic cityscape stretching from one horizon to the next, while at the same time being pursued by Bojack's henchmen.

Springing high up onto the roof of an old apartment building, Piccolo took a wide stance and watched with bared teeth as Gokuha came flying down at him with his sword. With a battle cry the blue warrior slashed down at the Namekian with his sword. The Z-fighter reacted fast, stepping in, reaching up and catching the man's sword arm by the wrist, using his momentum to twist it into an uncomfortable position. Upon which the Namekian swung his leg across and struck the man in the chest with a backwards heel kick. The blow sent the swordsman crashing into the building next door, punching him through the lower flowers and collapsing the entire structure on top of him.

Following up, Piccolo lobbed an energy ball into the cascading ruins. But instead of seeing it explode there was a sudden flash of light, followed by the dust, debris, and the Namekian's attack being split in two and effectively dispelled. As the two halves of the Z-fighter's attack shot off over the city, Gokuha, standing in the ruins of the neighboring building with his sword pointed to the floor and feet set into a wide stance, glared back up at his foe. Upon which he then leapt from the ground and rocketed up at the Namekian.

As for the rest of the gang, they were having problems of their own.

Being chased across the city rooftops, a fully powered up Yamcha cupped his hands forward and fired off a powerful blast at the little alien in the turban chasing him. When his attack hit nothing as his target sped right over it and charged at him, the scar-faced martial artist let out a yell and rushed at him instead.

"Get back you little-" He took a swing when he was in range, but his attack was too slow and the Z-fighter instead received a prompt and vicious elbow to the face. "GAH!"

With a scream Yamcha was sent spinning into a steeple in the middle of town, which his body crashed into and ended up embedded, upside-down, unconscious, blood trickling from his nose and mouth, and sprawled out against the brickwork.

Giggling at his quick victory, the tiny Bujin raised his hand and charged a red energy ball, only to suddenly receive a kick to the back of the head when Android 18 dropped down from the sky and sent the little man smashing through a house. Watching the building's roof collapse the cyborg prepared for the alien's retaliation, which came moments later when, floating up from the other side of the damaged structure, she saw the small alien float into view, levitating over two dozen massive slabs of rubble and steel girders.

Smirking when she saw the blonde woman standing on the roof squarely in his sights, the little alien with his arms crossed prepared to hurl his telekinetically controlled debris at her. But when a blast from above destroyed one of the car-sized boulders orbiting him, Bujin's eyes snapped upwards to see Tien hovering directly above him. Without an ounce of hesitation the turban-wearing Hera thrust his hand up and sent a stream of debris pelting towards the man.

Reacting fast, the bald-fighter flew off to the side, avoiding the girders and boulders that slammed into and impaled the dome wall of the battle zone behind him.

Dodging the debris that flew after him, Tien began returning fire, as did Android 18, both fighters beginning to fly circles around the telekinetic alien from a distance. However, as they quickly discovered, getting the alien with a direct shot wasn't going to be easy, as every blast they fired was effectively stopped by the field of debris circling him, which only began increasing in size as he started adding more to it from his surroundings.

Explosions ripped throughout the little city as the Z-fighters engaged their opponents. With the roving cameras struggling to capture all of the excitement going on and the landscape starting to crumble under the pressure, landing on a distant building out of reach of the warring groups, the pirate leader Bojack chuckled in amusement, watching as the fireworks erupted all about him.

"This is going to be a lot of fun," the large Hera-seijin exclaimed under his breath.

OOO

(Meanwhile)

Up in the stadium sitting high above the battle zones, the people lining the seats and stands were all still cheering and applauding eagerly as they watched the intergalactic 'visitors' go head to head with the Z-fighters on the enormous monitors. Though the invaders were certainly terrifying in appearance and all of them were flying about the battle zone like a group of demons, the spectators thought that this was all part of the competition and simply enjoyed the drama that was being played out. Complete with heroic take downs and explosions.

All they needed now was 'The Champ' Hercule Satan to fly in and save the day.

Unfortunately the man was nowhere to be seen, as the great martial arts champion had barricaded himself inside the bathroom. He kept the Cash family's lawyer and producer out by claiming to have a potentially life-threatening stomach problem, which did well in keeping the man at bay for a little while.

The Cash family themselves were rather enjoying the presentation of the intergalactic fighters their manager had supposedly hired to fight for them today, and were sitting in their skybox with big grins on their faces and eyes filled with stars.

"This is brilliant," the portly billionaire X.S Cash chortled, his transparent shades flashing with excitement as he saw the tiny alien competitor levitating rubble and debris around him, and hurling them at both Android 18 and Tien. "The special effects are truly spectacular. We should host this competition again, only bigger and better!"

"The fans will certainly love it," the man's wife chirped while her son bounced about in his seat giddily.

"Wow! Look at them go!" Monty cheered while pointing up at the screen, where he could see Gohan exchanging blows with the frightening yet beautiful Zangya. When he saw the half-Saiyan catch her blow and toss her towards the city, the child looked up at his mum and tugged on her dress, "I bet Gohan is going to win this one, mother!"

Lotta Cash giggled and patted her son on the head, "I'm sure he will, sweetie. I'm sure he will."

Amidst the clamor of the spectators, the members of the Z-fighters sitting in the audience were watching the battles unfold with anxiousness and fear. Chi-Chi had her hands pressed together as she watched with baited breath as her son battled against the woman on screen, while Bulma cradled her infant son close, at the same time the child waved his hands towards the monitor excitedly.

Master Roshi, Oolong, Chiaotzu and Puar were also following the battles with uncertainty and dread, as they'd not only just watched Krillin get taken out but Yamcha as well. Needless to say, it wasn't looking very good for them.

Videl, hands gripping the railing in front of her tightly, gritted her teeth as she saw Gohan receive a kick to the body and then a punch across the face that sent him spinning through the sky. Upon seeing him recover and charge right back into battle, the girl's uneasiness grew.

"Come on, Gohan. Beat them… you can do it."

OOO

(With Trunks)

A couple of minutes after the fights in the central battle zone between the Z-fighters and Bojack's crew began, blasting through the dividing wall standing between the desert battlefield and this one, the blond haired form of a Super Saiyan Mirai Trunks could be seen chasing after the large form of Bido, whom he'd sent barreling into the dome's barrier.

Slamming several punches across the bulky alien's face when he caught up to him, the furious Saiyan managed to draw a couple spurts of blood from the demon, until Bido retaliated with a swift back fist that struck Trunks's guard and sent him spiraling across the fake town.

Managing to stop himself with a quick burst of ki, the noticeably bruised and battered young Saiyan huffed and once again dashed at his equally damaged foe. When Bido fired off a cluster of red energy beams from his fingers towards his approaching enemy, Trunks avoided them with a swift aerial barrel roll. Corkscrewing under the hail of blasts, he then flew up at his foe and cracked him across the face with a hook. When he tried for a second one, the obviously pissed off Bido then parried the kid's blow with his forearm, before then catching the young man's leg when Trunks followed up his attack with a kick. With a mighty heave and a yell the Hera tossed the time traveling fighter towards the city streets below, the hybrid plummeting to the ground with a yell.

Crashing through the roof of an apartment block and out the other side, Trunks slammed back first into the street, bouncing twice before springing to his feet into a quick recovery. The second he glared back into the sky above where he knew his opponent was flying about, the building next to him was suddenly demolished and an equally battered Piccolo came bursting onto the scene in a cloud of dust. The Namekian skidded to a stop through the debris and ended up back-to-back with the Saiyan hybrid.

Spinning around to see what was going on, Trunks then saw the green guardian's opponent appear in the sky several stories above them; sword drawn and a big smirk on his face.

Analyzing the man's weapon briefly, the Super Saiyan hybrid frowned, "How are you doing?"

"Not too well, if I'm honest," Piccolo responded, ignoring the bloody gashes across his chest, torso and shoulder left by his opponent's steel. Honestly, considering how strong this guy was, it was a bit of an unfair advantage.

"Well… I think we're all in the same boat here," the Saiyan responded, widening his stance when he saw Gokuha raise his sword and point it towards them.

The orange haired mercenary chuckled, "You want to dance too, boy?"

Growling at the cocky way the man was speaking to him, Trunks crouched low and shot up at the sword-wielding pirate. Seeing the brash half-Saiyan take off had Piccolo's eyes widen and the man extend his hand in warning, but it was too late.

"Trunks! Wait!"

As the Super Saiyan was charging towards Gokuha, who was slowly drawing his sword back into a two-handed grip, a sudden flash of purple lights streaking through the air in front of him had Trunks balk in surprise. A split second later the teen felt his arms snap to his sides and his body freeze in midair, when something akin to a dozen steel wires coiled around his frame and stopped him in his tracks.

Gasping in shock, the ensnared Saiyan looked over his shoulder. He quickly spotted his opponent standing on a nearby roof with his hands outstretched and a big shit-eating grin on his face. When he looked down at himself to see what had snagged him, Trunks immediately noticed the telltale signs of light reflecting off of a series of translucent, multi-colored wires, which had apparently been thrown by Bido and used to snare him.

Trying to fight against the wires only led to the energy strings digging into his skin. In a matter of moments- and much to Trunks's shock- the young Saiyan felt his energy start to leave him, as it was slowly sapped away by the wires and fed towards his captor.

"W-What?" the hybrid growled, pulling back against the bonds in another attempt to free himself. But as hard as he writhed, he just could not break out.

Piccolo, spotting the transparent cables glimmering in the sky above, narrowed his eyes seriously. "So… that's what you've been hiding." In a matter of moments he saw Trunks's Super Saiyan form vanish, his blond hair fading back to lavender and his muscle mass vanishing.

While this was going on, the gang's leader Bojack, who'd been watching the battles from afar, lazily floated down from the sky and landed on a nearby roof. From here he could watch as his men made short work of the half-Saiyan from the future.

Still struggling to free himself as the wires kept him in place, Trunks's attention then snapped back to the man he'd tried to attack. It was at that very moment the half-Saiyan's eyes widened when he saw Gokuha, sword held high, diving down at him in a blur of motion. In a matter of moments the Hera was directly in front of the hybrid and swinging down at him with his saber, a mighty battle cry leaving his lips.

Spotting the alien charging at the time traveler from above, Piccolo, reacting in alarm, threw his hand up and prepared to fire a blast, an orange ball of ki flashing into life in front of his palm.

"DIE, BOY!" Gokuha roared, while Trunks braced himself for the inevitable.

The instant the alien struck down at the trapped Saiyan, a sudden silver flash from the side knocked Gokuha's strike away, as a familiar broad sword thrown from an unknown user came flying out of nowhere, spinning like a propeller blade. The airborne weapon effectively intercepted the alien's swing and knocked his saber back with a loud 'clang'. Sparks flying as his momentum was effectively cut off, the startled Gokuha then sprang away to avoid the blast fired by Piccolo from below.

Bido, recoiling at seeing Gokuha's attack fail, then let out a yelp of shock when the building he was standing on went up in a fiery blue explosion, causing him to dispel his wires prematurely.

The energy bonds wrapped around his body vanishing, Trunks jerked forward with a start and, glancing downwards, caught the airborne sword when it boomeranged back to him, along with the scabbard that dropped down from the sky. Sheathing his blade and buckling the sheath around him, the lavender haired Saiyan grinned in delight. Looking across at the now destroyed building behind him, the boy saw an all too familiar silhouette rise up from the plume of smoke.

"Father!"

Moments later, a golden flash followed by a blast of wind cut away the tower of dust, revealing the cross-armed, armor-clad form of Vegeta assumed in his Super Saiyan form. The instant he transformed, the prince smirked.

"Leave them to me." The warrior then floated up into the sky, his eyes set squarely on who he believed was the leader, poised on the apartment roof on the other side of the road.

When Vegeta reached the same altitude that Bojack was standing the two men then stared each other down, with the prince holding his signature serious glare while the orange haired bandit smirked broadly, his trench coat billowing on the wind. As the other battles raged on in the background and Piccolo and Trunks looked on from close by, the stage was set for another battle to break out.

Brow creasing irritably, the Super Saiyan Prince huffed and, drawing his hands back, threw them forward and unleashed a powerful golden blast with a yell. His attack streaked towards Bojack who, bringing his own hands up, fired off a green blast of his own to meet his opponent's. Their attacks collided in midair, going up in a golden explosion that rattled the neighborhood and choked the air with smoke.

What immediately followed from there was an epic aerial dogfight, as both Vegeta and Bojack engaged one another in a shootout above the fake city. Golden and green flashes of light started ripping over the battle zone in the most spectacular lightshow ever conceived, as the two hardcore warriors attempted to knock one another out of the sky. Their battle quickly descended to the downtown suburbs where, using the multiple apartment buildings as cover, the pair began trading shots through and between the towering blocks.

Watching the explosive trail being left behind by Vegeta and Bojack as the pair ventured further and further into the distance, a baffled Trunks couldn't help but shake his head.

"I don't understand you father. You withdraw into the shadows ever since Goku's been gone and now suddenly here you are defending us? Why?"

Before anyone could answer his question, Trunks suddenly wheeled around when he sensed someone approaching and saw Bido charging at him from behind. Taking a stance, the time traveler prepared to engage the large Hera once again, only to suddenly see the man receive a kick to the back of the head from Piccolo appearing directly behind him, knocking the blue man into the building below. The second he hit the structure the entire thing collapsed in a shower of rubble and dust.

Watching the administration building implode on itself, Piccolo then glanced across at the surprised Trunks with a smirk. "What do you say we switch dance partners?" he then darted down into the rubble, where he saw Bido picking himself up. Before the Hera could fully recover from his fall he was tackled in the gut by the Namekian and sent barreling into another building, where the pair vanished through the debris.

Smiling at seeing Piccolo take the big guy off his hands, Trunks's focus quickly switched across the sky, where he saw Gokuha floating nearby with his sword sheathed and a deep frown on his face. The moment the teen spotted him his own smile vanished, whereupon he then clenched his fists and, with a grunt, went straight into his Super Saiyan form. His muscles bulked and blond hair spiked upwards as his golden aura surrounded him.

Noticing the kid transform caused Gokuha's expression to tighten up. When he did, every single piece of jewelry on him lit a hot gold before, with a rush of wind and a rippling shockwave, the swordsman let out a roar and his body was swallowed up by a fiery green aura. In an instant the man's black top was shredded as his mass expanded, his skin turned a sickly green, and his hair flashed a bloody red. The moment he finished powering up, he leered across at his foe, who couldn't help but grit his teeth irritably.

"Your move," Gokuha informed confidently.

Narrowing his eyes, Trunks then reached up and gripped his sword. His golden aura flaring up with a blast of wind, he then shot straight towards his foe with a loud battle cry, while the now larger Hera charged back in kind. Both men drawing their swords at the exact same time, they then collided in midair, their swords impacting one another with a deafening _clang_ that echoed outwards in the form of a shockwave.

As two of the buildings around them collapsed from the force of their exchange and the ground beneath them split from the direction of their strikes, the two sword-wielding warriors growled as they grappled fiercely with one another. Sparks and bolts of electricity danced between them as the pair then brought their legs up and kicked each other away. Upon which they then engaged in a vicious duel of steel above the city, their golden and green forms streaking through the sky and clashing in a series of sparks and clangs, their weapons flashing through the air around them in a series of silver streaks.

And so the battle raged on.

OOO

(Android 18 and Tien vs Bujin)

Dodging another string of red energy bolts and rubble sent flying her way, the bruised and exhausted Android 18 growled in annoyance when she saw another part of the battle zone collapse behind her. Flying up higher, she kept her eyes fixed on the cyclone of debris surrounding their diminutive foe, who she could hear was giggling in amusement as he watched his two opponents dance feebly around him.

At this point his confidence was starting to annoy both Android 18 and Tien, who had were battered, bruised, and running on fumes.

Seeing his targets glaring at him, the snickering Bujin brought his hands up and wagged his fingers, causing the wall of debris in front of him to form into a row. "What's the matter, insects? Tired already?" He then rotated his hands, causing all the sharpest points of the floating rubble to abruptly turn and aim at Eighteen and Tien. "Too bad, because I've only just started to show you what I can do." With a snap of his fingers, he then sent the pieces of building he was suspending shooting towards the pair at once.

Seeing the fast-moving projectiles approaching, the two then darted away, once again avoiding another wave of debris that impacted the battle zone's far wall and destroyed it. After dodging the assault and possible impalement by scaffolding, both the cyborg and the triclops converged in the sky over Bujin's position, who once again summoned more ammo from his surroundings.

"This guy is starting to get on my nerves," Tien remarked, earning a nod of agreement from the blond android.

"Yeah," Eighteen replied with a frown. "We have to do something about that debris field and get him to come at us in hand-to-hand. But how?"

Thinking on it for a moment, the bruised and battered martial artist then turned to the woman with a serious look. "I have an idea. It's risky, but it should work." He then leant over and whispered what he had thought up, causing Eighteen's eyes to widen and then look at the man with a start.

"Really?" When Tien nodded, the blonde cyborg frowned and shot him a glare. "Whatever you do don't hit me."

"Got it," the Z-fighter replied. "When I say so, close your eyes."

Face creasing in annoyance, Bujin then cocked his head and shouted, "Hey! This is no time for chit-chat! I'm still here!" The little imp in the turban then thrust his hands forward and sent another telekinetic hail of rubble at the pair.

Scattering, Tien and Eighteen once again dodged the man's projectiles, with the human going high while the woman went low. Darting across the apartment rooftops, the cyborg raised her hand and fired off a cluster of blasts towards Bujin's position, who used a quick hand swipe to bring two large slabs of building in front of him to block the attacks. The Hera then raised his other hand and prepared to launch another salvo of pillars at her, only to look up when he heard a shout.

It was then he spotted his three-eyed target hovering in the air high above the battle zone.

"NOW!" Tien shouted, signaling Eighteen to stop and cover her face with her arms, while his hands splayed out on both sides of his head. His expression scrunching up, the warrior shouted. _**"TAIYOKEN!"**_ (Solar Flare) A blinding flash of light then shot down from above and hit Bujin square in the face, the entire neighborhood becoming engulfed by the strobe and filling everyone's vision with a painful white haze.

Unable to cover his eyes in time, Bujin let out a howl of pain and hunched forward, his telekinetic control over the debris field dispelling and dropping all the rubble to the ground. "GAH! My eyes!" Rubbing his face with both knuckles, the tiny alien attempted to shake off the stunning attack as quickly as he could.

Spotting the opening, Tien then thrust his hand down, pointed his finger and yelled. _**"Dodonpa!"**_ (Boom Wave) A golden beam then shot from the tip of his digit and towards Bujin's position, intent on taking him out with one hit.

The Hera though sensed the incoming danger and flew straight up as fast as he could, avoiding the beam. What Bujin didn't count on however was being blindsided from above by a shining ball of golden energy suddenly dropping down and nailing him square in the back of the head, which sent him spiralling straight down into the ruined city below.

The instant she saw the small alien impact the road, a surprised Android 18 glanced in the direction where that surprise attack had come from, where she then spotted Yamcha, still embedded in the city's steeple, with his hand extended and a big grin on his bruised face.

_**"Spirit Ball... Attack," **_he wheezed, before his eyes shut and arm flopped down as he passed out.

Realizing what had just happened, Eighteen felt a grin tug at her lips before she aimed both her hands down and, with a yell or rage, unleashed a hail of lightning fast energy bolts. Her attack bombarded the area the alien had crashed in just as he was standing up, decimating the neighborhood with a series of multiple golden explosions that were capable of laying waste to an entire countryside.

As Eighteen continued to bomb the area relentlessly and a thick cloud of smoke started to spew into the air and block out her vision, she suddenly spotted a shadow approaching her from below. Rocketing out of the plume, a singed, burnt and enraged Bujin shot up at her with a scream of rage, where he then thrust a punch up at the woman. Catching both wrists when he attempted to pummel her, the blonde cyborg gritted her teeth and attempted to hold the man in place.

But as she was slowly pushed back through the sky, Eighteen quickly realized she wouldn't be able to hold him for long.

Smoke trailing off of his burnt and battered form, Bujin barked, "You thought that pathetic attack would kill me?! HUH?!"

Jaw clenched as she grappled with the small alien, the cyborg then grinned, "I wasn't trying to kill you. I was trying to stall you."

Bujin then blinked in confusion, "Stall me? For what?"

"_**KIKO-HOOOOOOOO!"**_ A loud yell from the side echoed before the entire area was lit up by an orange flash of light.

When the baffled Bujin's gaze snapped to his left, he saw a massive, diamond-shaped blast rocketing towards him at an incredible speed. Realizing that it was his other opponent that had fired it, his eyes then widened in horror as the attack expanded at an absurd rate before, with a scream of terror, he was hit head-on by the blast. The geometrically perfect technique swallowed up the man as it streaked towards the horizon of the battle zone, where it struck the distant wall, shot off the island and blasted across the curvature of the planet.

The attack faded moments later, revealing Android 18 floating there with her eyes tightly shut and a square-shaped, smoking trench carved across the entire battle zone a few stories beneath her.

Opening her eyes and looking in front of her, the blond cyborg saw that she was still holding Bujin's fists, only… they weren't really attached to anything.

Apparently Tien had fired his blast close enough and accurately enough that he was able to engulf his target entirely, while leaving Android 18 completely out of harm's way. The result of the move spoke for itself, as the full-powered attack had completely incinerated their opponent, leaving only the parts the blond cyborg was holding onto intact.

Tien, his four hands still locked together in a diamond shape, then deactivated his _**Four Witches Technique **_and allowed his two remaining arms to drop to his sides tiredly. "Man… glad that's finally over."

"Yeah," Eighteen murmured, starting at the hands she was still holding before narrowing her eyes and dropping them. "Gross." Wiping her hands on her ruined top, the woman then glanced towards the city when she heard a series of explosions ring out. When she spotted a tower in the distance collapse from a blast being fired through it and saw a Super Saiyan Vegeta fending off the undamaged form of Bojack, the blond frowned. "I suppose we have to go take care of big, tall and ugly now, don't we?"

Also seeing the problem for himself, Tien nodded in agreement. "Seems like it." Clenching his fists and powering up, he then leant forward and took off. "Come on. We have to help."

Android 18 swiftly followed suit. Though they were successful in bringing down one of the invading aliens and had won _their_ battle, both she and Tien knew that the war was far from done…

OOO

(Piccolo vs Bido)

Over on the other side of the city, amidst a mountain of flaming rubble and gaping craters, the former guardian of Earth was still locked in an epic power struggle with his incredibly large and physically strong foe. After several minutes of trading blows in the air above the deserted city, their aerial kick boxing match quickly degenerated into a slugfest in the town below, where the duo ended up punching, kicking and throwing one another through the various buildings. They even launched blasts at one another at pointblank range, challenging each other to take their best shots.

This is how their part of the city ended up in such ruin, with only a few structures in their rundown neighborhood left standing.

Panting heavily as he watched Bido pick himself up out of the crater he'd landed in, Piccolo put his fingers to his forehead, powered up and jabbed them forward. _**"Makankōsappō!"**_ He then launched his signature orange spiral beam straight at the alien, intent on impaling him and killing him with a single shot.

Seeing the fast-moving attack streaking towards him at light speed, a wide-eyed and bleeding Bido sprang to the side, barely avoiding the attack when it shot past him. After the beam struck a distant hill and detonated in the form of a massive dome-shaped blast, the bulky Hera cocked back his hand and lobbed a red energy ball straight towards Piccolo.

Bringing his own hand over his shoulder, the Namekian backhanded the attack and sent it arcing into the sky, upon which he then rushed in to take Bido head on, who did the exact same thing. Screaming, the two warriors collided in the middle of the field with a deafening thunderclap, where they wound up grabbing each other by the hands and locking one another in a pushing match.

The two warriors growled as they forced every ounce of their strength upon their opponent- the ground cracking and disintegrating beneath them. As their feet started to sink into the floor, Piccolo, giving a mighty roar, reared his head back and slammed it into Bido's face. His cranium landed with the sickening sound of bones crunching as the alien's nose was crushed, the blue alien stumbling away with a cry of pain. Upon which Piccolo then pulled his fist back and slammed it into his cheek, sending the large Hera bouncing across the landscape to then crash into a distant boulder.

The rock pulverizing underneath the man's back, a stunned and exhausted Bido huffed and looked up, where he saw an equally tired Piccolo sprinting towards him. Gritting his teeth, the alien then threw his hands forward and unleashed a barrage of energy wires, which coiled through the air and snared the Namekian. The green warrior stopped just a few yards away with a gasp, his body jerking into a frozen position as he felt all of his momentum vanish.

Giving a boisterous laugh of victory, the bloodied and bruised Bido then barked at the frozen earthling. "You're finished, green man!" Watching Piccolo struggle and writhe under the transparent wires uselessly for a few seconds, the Hera then proceeded to tighten his hold. "As soon as all of your energy is drained, I will cut you to-"

Just before he could finish his sentence, Piccolo's eyes widened and flashed, before two beams shot out and struck Bido squarely in the chest. The attack went straight through the alien and out the back, splattering blood across the floor and causing the Hera's wires to dispel instantly. Lurching forward with his eyes wide in shock, blood then gurgled out of the invader's mouth as he clutched the two pupil-sized holes in his pectorals.

Feeling the bonds vanish from around him, the Namekian breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the stricken Bido, who'd collapsed to his knees from the pain. "Now, you see, the thing about using those energy wires is that you can't move around too well after you've cast them. You need to keep both hands out and all of your attention focused on keeping them active, leaving your body stationary. That makes you a big target." Stopping directly in front of the kneeling, gasping Bido, the battered Namekian, his gi ripped, body bruised, and lip bleeding, spat to the side. "Remember that the next time you use it." He then raised his hand and pointed it squarely at the alien's face.

Before the Hera could say anything to get Piccolo to stop or even so much as scream, a flash of light and an orange blast shot out of the Namekian's palm and engulfed his head, disintegrating it and the rest of his body in an instant…

OOO

(Trunks vs Gokuha)

More clangs rang out across the sky as the two sword wielding warriors continued clashing, their forms darting through the air in multiple directions, trailing sparks and fire wherever they went. After several more engagements that saw a dozen more silver flashes resonate across the battle zone's space, a loud shockwave then echoed out as Gokuha was unexpectedly kicked out of the air by his opponent appearing directly overhead and getting the drop on him. It seemed like a successful attack.

But as the Super Hera fell out of the air, the bandit threw his hand out and lassoed a cluster of wires around Trunks's leg, snaring him and yanking him down with him.

The half-Saiyan gave a surprised yelp as he was pulled out of the sky and slammed into the valley several yards from where Gokuha crashed. When the dust settled and the two pushed themselves back to their feet seconds later, the sword users then looked up and glared daggers at each other.

By this time both of them were covered in burns, cuts and bruises, showing just how hard both warriors had been trying to kill each other.

Taking his saber into two hands, the shaking and wounded Gokuha huffed as he watched his opponent widen his stance, "Let's finish this."

Brandishing his weapon so that his blade flashed at his enemy, the equally wounded Trunks lowered his head and braced himself. "By your lead."

Without even so much as a second thought, the green-skinned Hera bent his knees and shot forward with a sonic boom, charging across the open ground towards his foe like a samurai. Trunks mimicked his actions, a cloud of dust trailing behind him as he sprinted at his opponent with his jaw clenched and aura blazing around him.

Both men tore a path across the open field at such speed they were both nothing more than a couple of indiscernible gold and green blurs heading towards one another. When the two finally collided in the center of the barren wasteland outside of the city, there was a blinding flash of light and a loud, metallic echo as both their blades connected with full force.

The moment the blinding flash faded, both men had switched places; standing on opposite sides of each other with their backs turned and weapons extended, indicating a finished strike. At first the two transformed fighters remained where they were, glaring ahead of each other as their minds slowly processed what'd happened.

Then it hit them.

Gasping painfully, Trunks suddenly dropped to his knee and spat up blood, at the same time his Super Saiyan form dissipated with a dull shimmer. Looking at his form, one could clearly see his opponent's sword had carved right across his side, leaving a noticeable gash in his abdomen that the time traveler was now clutching with his bare hand. What's more, the shining broadsword he was holding in his right hand had snapped in half, with the top half of the weapon missing.

While Trunks had collapsed to the floor following their exchange, a still transformed Gokuha stood upright, chuckling as he slowly turned to face his fallen foe. Sword still in one piece, the snickering Hera saw the hybrid Saiyan glare painfully over his shoulder, trembling from head to toe and unable to move from the injury he'd sustained.

It seemed like Gokuha had won their little Iai contest.

But several seconds after the man had turned around, the redheaded Gokuha's laughter suddenly slowed and slurred, before a trickle of blood dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. Still smiling and chuckling in a strange manner, the man then swayed on the spot, dropped his sword, and fell to his knees with a loud thud.

As it turns out, when Trunks's sword snapped against the Hera's thicker, more robust saber, the top end of the Saiyan's sword had embedded right in the center of his chest where his heart was, and was now sticking out of both ends of his body. It took a moment for the damage to finally register to the alien and once it did, all feeling and sense of consciousness left Gokuha completely.

The moment he dropped to his knees, the Hera then keeled forward and slammed face first into the dirt, his lifeless form reverting back to his base as blood slowly started to pool on the ground around him.

Panting and gasping for air after finally seeing his opponent drop, Trunks then gulped exhaustedly and picked himself off the floor. Still holding his broken sword, the young adult then spun it about all-cool-style and sheathed the remaining half into the scabbard on his back. Upon which his eyes turned towards the city.

Sensing the fierce battle between his father and the aliens' boss still raging on, the half-Saiyan from the future clenched his fists and, with a quick power up and jump to Super Saiyan, took off into the sky to join the others in battle.

From what he could sense, it was not going well…

OOO

(Vegeta vs Bojack)

As valiant and epic as his entrance to the party had been, the Prince of all Saiyans quickly found himself on the losing end of his fight with the leather-clad Hera-seijin leader.

After a sporadic shootout across the city, which saw to the destruction of multiple buildings, hills and sections of the battle zone dome around them, the duo then moved in to duke it out with one another head to head. Vegeta managed to land a few good hits on his foe, using his superior speed and technique to assist him. But as he quickly found out, his opponent was a lot tougher than he'd anticipated and, from the arrogant smirk that remained on the scar-faced Bojack's face, the guy was only humoring him.

Over the next several minutes the alien leader then proceeded to kick Vegeta around the empty city, sending him flying through buildings and random structures across the suburbs. More explosions and shockwaves echoed throughout the skyline, sending rubble and smoke hurtling into the air.

When the Saiyan rushed at his opponent, bruised and bleeding from his face, he attempted to nail the demon leader with a hook, only to receive a heavy hammer blow from above. The attack slammed into his body with a deafening crack and effectively punted Vegeta out of the sky and down into the streets below. Crashing into the floor, the prince smashed a twenty foot wide crater into the rock and concrete.

Bojack chuckled loudly from where he floated. "Struggle all you want. Your attempts to stop me are worthless."

Spitting up blood and attempting to sit up, Vegeta growled when he saw the airborne Bojack aim both hands at him and launch a green blast at his position. The attack rocketed towards him at a terrifying speed, growing in both size and strength. But just as the blast was about to consume the prince in his entirety, a golden bolt from the right suddenly slammed into the side of the green sphere and sent it shooting off into the distance. Seconds later Android 18 and Tien came charging into battle.

"Oh, no you don't!" the three-eyed male shouted as he powered right up to Bojack's position with a punch, only to miss when the blue leader speedily and rather acrobatically flipped over Tien faster than he could track. The moment he did, Bojack then dropped a kick down onto an unsuspecting Eighteen approaching from behind, striking her in the stomach and causing her to choke up spit as she was effectively kicked out of the sky and into an apartment block.

Once he'd fended off the cyborg, the pirate then swung out and punched Tien across the face when the stunned martial artist looked over his shoulder to try and follow him.

The bone-crunching blow sent the human bouncing off of the roof of a house, where he then ended up tumbling to a painful heap across the tiles. But just as Bojack was preparing to finish off the bald warrior, the giant of an alien received a swift knee across the face from Piccolo flying at him from a blind spot. The swift, dull crack of his jumping attack sent the demon leader spinning through the air, who then stopped moments later and looked back with a growl to see the Namekian rushing at him a second time.

With a roar, the green fighter from earth struck out at the alien, attempting to nail him between the eyes, only to watch Bojack move forward in a blur, avoid his punch and knee him in the solar plexus. Coughing up blood, Piccolo was then kicked across the face and sent spinning through the air, but stopped himself with a quick burst of ki.

When Bojack saw Piccolo spin around to face him again, his eyes then glanced over his shoulder to see Trunks stop behind him, dropped in a fighting stance and assumed in his Super Saiyan form. His arrogant smile fading from his bloody lip, the barely damaged alien then looked to his left, where he saw the battered forms of an exhausted Android 18 and Tien float up to face him. Then, looking to his left, he saw Vegeta join their formation, fists clenched at his sides and a fierce glare set upon him.

"It's over for you, monster," Android 18 spoke, ignoring her messy hair, ruined outfit and the blood leaking from the corner of her mouth.

"No matter what, we will not let you take this planet," Trunks stated, his own glare mirroring that of his father's. "Because we are going to take you down, right here, right now."

After a moment of glancing around at the multiple opponents floating around him, Bojack closed his eyes and smirked. Seconds later a series of low chuckles reverberated from his throat, followed by a long and sinister laugh that had the five warriors surrounding him assume defensive stances. After which the scar-faced demon opened his eyes.

"Fools," Bojack said in a deep, intimidating tone of voice. "Soon you will know the full and terrifying wrath that is Bojack; the scourge of the universe and the conqueror of worlds!" The alien leader then clenched his fists and, after concentrating for a moment, slowly crossed his arms over his face. What followed was a series of miniature sonic booms that shredded his leather jacket and bandana as a green aura erupted from his body, which caused his muscles to bulk up, his hair to turn blood red, and his skin green. The moment his form went up the demon then gave a howl of rage, his arms thrusting outwards and sending a gust of wind ripping across the city.

As buildings beneath him caved in and the ground split from the force of his transformation, the group of five Z-fighters hovering in the air looked on in horror when they sensed Bojack's power level go through the roof. Once the alien had finished expelling energy, his strength had grown to such a preposterous height that all of them felt like they were reliving an all too recent nightmare.

"H-Holy crap," Tien shivered as sweat started trickling down his face. "His… power level…"

"It's exactly the same as Cell's," Piccolo stammered, unable to believe what he was sensing either.

Chuckling as he allowed his body to relax from its tensed up state, the fully transformed Super Hera then set his sights on the collection of warriors around him. Noticing the looks of shock and terror slapped across their faces, Bojack leered threateningly.

"Now… you _die_."

OOO

(Gohan vs Zangya)

Way outside of the city making up the majority of the central battle zone, in the fields of rolling hills close to the edge of the perimeter wall, the two young fighters were still clashing with one another in a chaotic yet awesome display of strength and skill. Darting across the landscape, the pair chased each other in the form of two imperceptible blurs, every so often tagging the other player whenever they crossed paths and locking in a brief exchange of blows, before separating and repeating the motion again.

Using whatever strategies they could both come up with to try and outflank their opponent and catch them off guard, both Gohan and Zangya traded several more attacks, until one of them finally made a move.

Twirling on the spot, a noticeably bruised and beaten up Zangya, with blood trickling from the top of her head, let out a yell as she opened up her hand and pelted a red ball of energy straight towards her opponent. _**"BEAUTY TRIGGER!"**_ The red bolt of ki curved towards Gohan's head and was on a clear path to hitting him.

However, spotting the attack coming in slow motion, the less damaged half-Saiyan ducked it and rushed straight at his opponent, catching the woman by surprise at his speed.

Zangya reacted instinctively, retaliating with a few sharp blows towards Gohan's head. When the boy parried and countered with a hook across her face, Zangya thrust a kick at him in response, only for the demi-Saiyan to catch her limb, dive forward and throw both of them into a spin. Their forms blurring together as they fell, the fast-flipping Gohan let out a yell and released his opponent, sending her shooting towards the planet at speed.

A loud clap of a meteor making landfall echoed throughout the air as Zangya went splat into the ground, sending a large puff of dust and debris into the air from where she landed, and splitting a hill right down the middle. Before the cloud could settle, Gohan slapped his hands over his forehead and, concentrating hard, let out a yell.

"_**Masenko…"**_ He then threw his body and hands forward, a sonic boom ringing out as a golden blast erupted from his palms, _**"-HAAAAAAAAA!"**_ Gohan's attack filled the air with a golden glow as it rocketed down to Zangya's position, intent on engulfing her and taking her out of the fight in an instant.

Managing to stand up from the crater she'd formed, the battered woman gasped at the sight of the incoming blast. Thinking fast, she then swiped her hands in front of her, unleashing a dozen translucent wires that coiled through the air like a net. _**"**__**Chōnōryoku!"**_ (Psycho Threads) The threads expanded in a flurry of lightning fast streaks, which intercepted the oncoming attack and diced it to pieces.

The blast, cut into a dozen blocks, then scattered across the battlefield and peppered their surroundings. Upon which Zangya whipped her wires through the sky and hurled them at her adolescent target, intent on snaring him next and robbing him of his energy.

Spotting the stream of barely visible webbing flying at him, Gohan, using his training, snapped his hand out and caught the wires. As they coiled around his fingers, he clenched it into a fist, spun around and, with a mighty yell and a heave, yanked Zangya off the ground. The female Hera let out a cry of surprise when she felt her body get pulled into the sky, where the young Super Saiyan spun her through the air like a lasso, before throwing her back towards the ground, which she slammed into with a violent crash.

Her wires dispelling, Zangya groaned in agony and slowly pushed herself out of the crater she'd formed. Once she was on all fours, she looked up to see Gohan touch down on the ground a few yards in front of her, a serious look reflected in his eyes as he stared at the wounded girl.

"It's over. You're done," Gohan said in a firm and commanding voice.

Huffing angrily, Zangya shook her head. "No! I'm not finished yet!" the young woman shouted as she pushed herself to her feet, only to stumble and fall onto her backside. Yelping in pain, the Hera then glared through one eye back at the Saiyan child. "I have to beat you… I _must_… otherwise he'll kill me."

At this statement Gohan blinked in surprise, "Who? Your boss?"

Rolling forward onto her knee allowed Zangya a better position to move, as she used that moment to catch her breath and to stop her head from spinning. "If I don't follow his orders… he won't just punish me. He'll break me, torture me… make an example of me in front of the rest of the group. Then, once he's satisfied with my suffering… he'll kill me… just like he did everyone else." She then glared back up at the boy through a slightly half-lidded gaze. "All of us do what Master Bojack tells us to do. If he even so much as detects a hint of insubordination, he will end our lives without so much as a blink."

Appearing stunned, the demi-Saiyan then frowned and stepped forward. "But there are four of you. Why can't you guys just stand up to that monster? Tell him you won't do as he says anymore?"

Zangya shook her head, "They won't. Gokuha, Bido, Bujin… all three of them are either too scared or were turned around years ago The rest of us died in battle or were killed by Bojack. With no home to return to, they just followed him around wherever he went… and I was forced to tag along as his trusted lieutenant." When she looked down at the earth, memories of years long past soon began flickering through her head, causing her jaw to clench and her face to tighten. "You don't know what Bojack is capable of… what he's done. He wiped out all of my people and forced me to watch as he murdered my mother, my father, and my little brother right in front of me." Tears starting to brim in her eyes, the woman gave a sob and clenched her hands through the dirt, before then slamming it into the floor. "I can still hear their screams and see their faces in my nightmares."

Expression saddening when he heard this, Gohan's eyes then craned downwards for a moment of careful thought. All things considered, this was actually the first time he'd run into an opponent who wasn't just some mindless monster or a person driven by evil intent and desire. This girl in front of him, Zangya, she'd been forced into her master's servitude and forced to kill for him, all in order to protect herself and survive. What's more, she'd lost her entire family and her race to his hands, and had nowhere to go except stick with Bojack's group of hoodlums.

Sensing that she wasn't as bad as he thought she was before, the young Saiyan then resolved to do something about it. He wanted to help her.

Taking a page out of his father's book, Gohan clenched his fists and stepped forward.

"It doesn't have to be like that," the young Saiyan stated while moving towards the young woman cautiously. "You don't have to be afraid of him anymore. You can fight him-"

"No! No. You don't understand!" Zangya screamed, stopping the teen in his tracks at her outburst while her head snapped upwards. Brow furrowed and eyes burning blue, the young woman continued. "I can't fight him! I don't have a choice! Bojack… he's too powerful. Everyone who has tried to stand up to him has been destroyed by his hand or suffered an even worse fate. He killed my entire family, my friends, and everyone I've ever cared about. And if I try to face him… he'll just kill me too!" Standing up with a cry of fear and anger, a green aura blasted around the Hera's entire body, causing the jewellery she was wearing to glow a bright gold, her long hair to turn red and her skin to turn green. Her energy skyrocketing and sending a powerful gust blowing in all directions, pushing Gohan back along the ground, the woman then leant forward and yelled, "I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"

Recoiling in alarm, the demi-Saiyan swung his arms up to protect himself. However, moving too fast for him to follow, the now red haired Zangya bolted forward in a blur and slammed a fist across his face. The attack landed with a deafening thunderclap, knocking Gohan off his feet and sending him spinning into a distant plateau, which exploded and collapsed on top of him.

Another bellow of effort left Zangya's lips as she threw her hands forward and unleashed a massive red blast surrounded by red bolts of lightning, which engulfed the landscape in front of her and swallowed up the area where Gohan had crashed. After her attack burned through the island and shot out the other side, incinerating almost everything in sight before shooting across the ocean, the woman then lowered her hands and panted heavily. The effort she'd put forth had managed to burn an enormous glass trench across the valley, leaving almost nothing standing.

From this observation alone it seemed like her battle was finally over, but then, as she watched the enormous cloud of smoke and dust fade, she heard the distinct sound of energy fluctuating in the distance. Squinting, she then saw a golden glow emerge from the wall of smoke, which blew away the veil of debris and revealed Gohan standing there in one piece.

Despite the amount of energy she'd put behind her attack, Zangya was astonished to see that there was barely a scratch on her opponent. Barring only a couple of bruised cheeks, a bleeding lip and a few tears in his orange and blue gi, the young Saiyan looked like her attack hadn't done anything to him. However, after getting a better look at the warrior before her, the Hera then noticed that his appearance had changed slightly.

Not only was his golden aura whipping around him more violently, but it was accompanied by a field of blue electricity, which sparked and shot off of his body like a storm. What's more, not only had his body achieved more definition and his face had become sterner, his once soft green eyes had taken on a darker shade of turquoise, and his golden hair had grown, spiked up, and was standing almost completely on end, leaving only a single bang hanging over his forehead.

Needless to say, the boy looked both cool and intimidating, a sight that had Zangya take a worried step back.

"N-No way," the girl whispered, only to then gasp in fright when she suddenly saw Gohan standing directly in front of her, causing her to trip and fall backwards.

The teen had been standing half a kilometre away from her. Somehow, while she was staring right at him, the Saiyan had managed to teleport to only a few feet away from her. And she didn't even blink!

How fast was he?

Staring wide-eyed up at the Super Saiyan 2 now standing over her, Zangya watched in silence as the teen, baring the menace and composure of a killer, held his arm out and extended his hand towards her. Knowing that a blast was sure to come, the trembling Super Hera shut her eyes and braced herself, prepared to face her maker in whatever form he took.

But then, after a few seconds of waiting for the inevitable burning sensation that was her death, the Hera suddenly felt a gentle poke on her forehead, which then prompted her to look up. When she did, she saw Gohan leaning towards her with his signature warm smile on his face. Thanks to his Ascended Saiyan state, it made him appear even more regal than he already was.

"We all have a choice." When he saw the girl blink, Gohan pressed on. "Right now, you have the chance to make things right, not just for yourself, but for your family and your entire race. If you want to make a difference in the world and redeem yourself for all the bad things you've done, use your powers to help others and protect those who can't fight for themselves. Stand up to the monster who's threatening you, look him dead in the eye, and tell him to go take a hike." Pausing for a moment as his eyes searched Zangya's, he then shrugged. "And if that doesn't work, just punch him really, _really_ hard in the face. Trust me. I do it all the time." He then raised his hand and offered it to her. "So… what do you want to do?"

Staring into the teen's grinning face and feeling her anxiety settle and become replaced by a sense of warmth, the Hera then glanced down at the Saiyan's hand and, for the next few seconds, considered it…

OOO

The battle with Bojack had taken a rather big turn for the worst.

The moment the demon assumed his Super Hera form, the fight quickly transformed into a one-sided ass kicking contest. The first to get dropped was Tien, who was downed by a single blow to the face and sent spinning into a building. After which the alien leader then targeted Trunks, who he clobbered and kicked through several buildings until he managed to knock the teen unconscious and into a clearing on the outskirts of town.

Vegeta, Piccolo and Android 18 tried to stop Bojack by attacking him from behind, but when they tried to get the drop on him, the demon viciously tossed and knocked them around the sky until he was satisfied. After a few minutes of endless pummelling, almost all three of the still active Z-fighters could be seen lying around the battlefield, barely conscious, clothes ruined, and covered in all sorts of bruises and wounds. The only one who managed to get back to his feet after the merciless beat down was Vegeta who, with his right arm hanging uselessly at his side, was now attempting to face off against Bojack in his base form.

Blood covering his right eye and his body armour cracked, the Saiyan Prince growled when he saw the red haired alien hulk, who barely had a scratch on him, smirk in his direction. "What the hell are you grinning at… you ugly, scar-faced freak? You think you're better than me?"

Bojack chuckled, "Of course."

"Well… you're not!" Vegeta barked back, as he then brought his fist up and thumped it against his chest. "I'm Vegeta; Prince of all Saiyans! The leader of the most powerful race in the universe! And I refuse to be beaten by some no-name, juiced up freak from another planet!" With a bellow of rage, the man's golden aura blasted around him. As soon as he transformed to Super Saiyan, the prince leapt off the ground and flew right at Bojack at full speed.

Attempting to clock the bandit across the face with a hook, Vegeta saw Bojack block it with his forearm. However, just when it seemed like his attack had failed, the Saiyan opened up his hand and unleashed a golden blast from his palm, hitting the demon right in the face at point-blank range. The attack erupted outwards, engulfing the invader's entire head and causing the warrior to lurch violently to the side. Immediately upon firing off his blast the Saiyan Prince leapt away and landed at a safe distance.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed a slightly surprised Bojack with his head cocked to the right and one side of his face burnt and simmering like a roast.

Vegeta laughed at the man's look. "Surprise, wretch."

Registering to the fact that he'd been hit, the Hera's expression suddenly twisted into one of fury and, spinning towards the Saiyan, he vanished in a blur. The next thing the prince knew was having his stomach caved in from a punch, which had the royal spit up blood, before the demon grabbed both sides of his head and began to squeeze.

A pained scream left Vegeta's mouth as he literally felt his skull begin to compress at an agonizing rate, his Super Saiyan form dissipating in an instant. Attempting to pull the demon's arms away with his arm, the Z-fighter dropped to his knees helplessly and Bojack slowly applied more pressure.

The Hera grinned broadly as he heard Vegeta's cries of pain fill his ears, encouraging him to keep going. "Surprise, whelp," Bojack cackled as he added more power to his move. With Vegeta continuing to flail and claw at his limbs uselessly, the demon pushed him further towards the floor, delighting in the noises he was getting out of him. "Heh-heh. I'm not going to stop until your eyes pop out and your brain explodes out the back of your skull!"

Alerted to the plight of their comrade, a stricken Piccolo and Android 18 attempted to get back up and into the fight. But as the former tried to push his chest off the floor and the latter off of her back from the pile of rubble she was lying in, the pair quickly realized that they no longer had the strength to do anything. Unable to budge or muster the energy for an attack, they knew that they were probably going to watch Vegeta die.

His consciousness starting to fade, the gaping prince's arms dropped to is sides as Bojack applied even more pressure. Laughing maniacally, the demon then prepared to crush the Saiyan's head once and for all, only to suddenly see stars when a fist came out of nowhere and slammed across his face. Blood flying out of his mouth as his grip around Vegeta's head was relinquished, Piccolo and Android 18 could only look on in disbelief as the alien leader's henchwoman, Zangya, landed the mother of all haymakers across his cheek.

Stumbling away in shock, a stunned Bojack then attempted to face his new attacker, only to receive three more pulverizing punches to the face, followed by a kick to the ribs that sent him skidding across the battlefield in a cloud of dust.

Spitting out the blood from his mouth as well as a tooth, the surprised alien leader growled, "Lieutenant! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Making a choice!" Zangya barked before leaping from the ground and darting right at the demon a second time.

Growling, the gang leader attempted to backhand the woman, only to see her speedily jump over his blow and drive a knee into his face instead. When Bojack's head was knocked back, Zangya then tried for a punch, but suddenly had her body grabbed out of the air and crushed against the man's chest in a single-armed bear hug. A cry of pain was the one thing the female Hera was able to do before the back of her head was grabbed and yanked towards her leader's face, who then grinned at her murderously.

"So… it's finally come to this, huh?" Bojack snarled as he felt the woman squirm against him. "I figured that after I massacred your family you would've learned your place, Zangya. But it seems I'm going to have to show you again what it means to fear me. Do you think you're strong enough to stand up to your dear old boss?"

At this, Zangya sprouted a grin, "Yeah. I do." Without warning she then kneed him in the crotch, causing Bojack to lurch forward with a gasp of pain before he was elbowed across the face. The sight had both Piccolo and Eighteen cringe.

When the hulking demon staggered away, the female Super Hera rushed at him again to carry on her assault. But just before she could nail her boss with a kick, the man caught her leg with his massive hand, whipped her through the air, and then slammed her into the floor. The second her body formed a human-sized divot in the rocky ground, Bojack lifted his foot and slammed it into her stomach, causing the woman to spit up blood when he ground his heel into her ribs.

Bojack cackled madly, "You've got guts, woman, I'll give you that… but they're guts that I'm going to enjoy squeezing out of you!"

After managing to muster the strength to take a breath, the stunned Zangya then cracked a smirk. "No… you won't…" She then nodded to her right. "_He_ won't let you."

Bojack's pummelled face turning confused for a moment, the man's eyes then widened in fright when he suddenly felt a wicked tremor hit him from behind, which rattled the surrounding landscapes and sky. Shortly thereafter, as the ground started to shake even more violently, the Hera heard the sound of a massive explosion, its shockwave rumbling outwards in the form of a huge cloud of dust that fell every other building in the city behind him. By the time his eyes snapped over his shoulder to see what the cause of the strange anomalies was, Bojack saw a golden bolt crash into the field directly nearby, punching a crater into the ground and sending a shower of debris in all directions.

When the dust finally settled around the hole, an incredibly pissed off Gohan slowly emerged, surrounded by his golden aura and field of electricity. The smoke around his landing spot settling a few seconds later, Bojack clearly saw the path of destruction the boy had left in his wake when he legged it through the city to catch up to Zangya, who he'd allowed to get ahead. The result of simply flying over the town had collapsed every single building in his path, leaving a huge gap where the town centre used to be.

Upon seeing Gohan arrive, Piccolo, Android 18, Zangya, and a still miraculously conscious Vegeta smiled in relief and victory respectively.

After watching Bojack step away from his lieutenant, who he'd been stepping on moments earlier, Gohan's eye twitched menacingly as he had his full attention set on the demon.

"You came here looking for me, right, Bojack?" Gohan asked before his glare narrowed even more, "Well… here I am."

At first appearing taken aback at the boy's intimidating appearance and the amount of energy fluctuating off of him, Bojack then gave a wide, menacing grin before, holding out both his hands, unleashed a powerful stream of green energy at the teen. The blast shot out at great speed and expanded to a gargantuan size, swallowing up the impassive Gohan in an instant before engulfing a majority of the battlefield and city behind him. His attack, which filled up a majority of the arena's airspace, ended up slamming into the battle zone's barrier, destroying it and causing the entire island to shake violently.

The stadium above meanwhile shook from the tremors rushing up from below, drawing loud cheers of excitement and terror from the crowd as the cameras captured the entire thing. There were a few people present who expressed fear and worry that the competition might be going a little too far, with those key participants being Chi-Chi, Bulma, Videl, Master Roshi, and all the other Z-fighters watching the battles take place on screen. But as for the rest of the spectators, everyone else was having a blast from the performance.

The sight of the devastation he'd caused drew chuckles of amusement from Bojack, who watched with morbid satisfaction as the dust and smoke settled around the massive trench he'd torn across the land. But when the smoke faded over the spot where Gohan had been, the alien's grin vanished and a shocked look appeared on his face when he saw the demi-Saiyan standing perfectly still, in the exact same spot with barely a change in his expression.

The blast he'd fired had also left the ground directly behind the boy untouched, meaning he'd hit him head on but it'd done no damage to him whatsoever.

Zangya, gaze half-lidded, grinned at the sight of the boy and whispered. "Now you're going to get it, you demented psychopath."

Veins throbbing on his forehead and his jaw clenching angrily at seeing Gohan's unflinching gaze resting solely upon him, the clearly infuriated Bojack powered up and gave a mighty roar, "I WILL KILL YOOOUUU!" He then threw his hands forward and unleashed a shower of translucent energy wires from his fingers, which filled the air and shot towards the demi-Saiyan in a glowing purple net of death. _**"**__**Chōnōryoku!"**_

Spotting the fast-moving wires flying at him, Gohan took a step back when they dropped around him. Eyes sharp and senses wide open, the teen quickly swiped his hands through the air and caught the energy net, the threads tightening around his fingers and cutting into his skin, drawing blood. The half-Saiyan held firm and, after digging his feet into the ground, glared fiercely across at Bojack as bolts of lightning shot off of him.

Stunned at seeing the boy catch his wires, the planet conquering Hera growled and barked in rage, "Don't underestimate me, you-" Before he could finish his threat, Gohan suddenly yanked his arms around and, performing an incredibly acrobatic spin, pulled a surprised Bojack off his feet and flying towards him at speed. With a yell of shock, the Hera's hold over the wires instantly dispelled when Gohan drove a kick right across his face and sent his body rag-dolling over the battlefield, his big green mass bouncing and digging a trench through the ground for several hundred feet. Moments later, when the dust from his flight finally settled, the demon could be seen lying face first in the dirt, groaning in pain and feeling absolutely humiliated.

Ignoring the cuts in his hands, Gohan kept his eyes locked on the spot Bojack had landed, watching the man shakily get back to his feet. Moving around to stand defensively in front of Zangya and his friends, all of whom were lying scattered across the battlefield behind him, the boy saw his opponent spit out the blood that was dribbling freely from his mouth and head, and snarl in his direction.

_"He's about as strong as Cell when he came back,"_ Gohan thought as he did a quick assessment of the transformed Hera's abilities, before a smirk tugged at his lips. _"Too bad for him... because I've gotten even stronger than what I was before."_

Thank Kai for his Saiyan genes.

That one blow had done quite a bit of damage to the Hera. Not only was the demon swaying on the spot after he'd finally straightened up to full height, but he also had a massive indent in the side of his face from where his skull had been kicked, he had a swollen eye, a bent nose, and several missing teeth along his upper and lower jaw. And yet, despite all of that, he was still conscious.

"I know your kind. You think you can just waltz in and take our planet," Gohan spoke, sparks of electricity shooting from his body and striking the ground. When Bojack took a step back in fear, the teen pressed on. "But this world is not yours to take… nor is any other planet. That's why I'm going to make sure you never harm another living soul ever again."

His green aura blasting around him like a raging fire, Bojack bolted forward with a roar of fury. "You think you can beat me, boy?! I dare you to try!" He sprinted at the child, vaguely aware of the kid's sudden increase in ki and killing intent, which began flooding out of him in waves.

As Bojack rushed at him like a charging rhino, Gohan's eyes suddenly widened and his crackling, golden aura intensified. The teen then focused his energy entirely on his opponent and sent it blasting across the field in the form of a shockwave, which hit his target head on and swallowed up the demon instantly. As the tunnel of wind ripped across the battlefield, the ground around the two warriors began to splinter and crumble.

From a normal person's perspective it all happened in an instant. But from the Z-fighters' point of view, it all happened in slow motion.

As the powerful _kiai_ continued to erupt from the Saiyan in an unending gale of heat waves, the enraged Bojack pushed forward. His legs slowing as he forced himself through the hurricane one agonizing step at a time, the lead demon gave a snarl of effort and glared up at his target, who he could see through the raging torrent was now standing only a few yards away.

Determined to reach the child, Bojack took another clumsy step forward, only to stop when a searing pain suddenly gripped his entire body. Lurching forward and screaming in agony, the green warrior looked down at his trembling limbs, where he quickly saw random patches of skin start to burn, turn black and crumble into ash. Eyes widening in terror, the man looked up through the gale of wind and saw Gohan still glaring at him and feeding energy into his invisible blast.

In a matter of moments, chunks of Bojack's torso, back, legs and shoulders started to crumble and turn to dust, all the while the man attempted to get closer and closer to his target. But when the blast from the Saiyan unexpectedly intensified and another surge of energy rocketed down the tunnel of wind, the ground around them caught fire and started to melt, while even more portions of Bojack disintegrated into clouds of ash.

By this point it was a miracle the man was still alive… let alone standing.

Eyes wide and throbbing with rage and pain, Bojack screamed one last time at the demi-Saiyan, now only standing five feet in front of him, "YOU INSOLENT WORM! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME?! **ME**?!" The man's cries ripped through the air, only to be silenced when another tidal wave of heat blasted off of the perfectly standing Gohan's body and struck him, causing his arms and legs to fall apart and burst into clouds of ash, while the remainder of his chest, torso and head slowly powdered to nothing. "NO ONE CAN KILL ME! I AM BOJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" With one last attempt to reach forward, the demon's disembodied head and torso turned into a thin cloud of dust.

At the same time the unflinching Gohan frowned, "And no one will ever remember your name." Inhaling deeply, the child finished off his opponent with gusto, letting out a roar of effort and one last shockwave that scattered the man's ashes to the wind. **"Shōkyaku Kiaihō!"** (Incineration Kiai Cannon) His attack rippled across the battle zone, causing the ground to distort and collapse everything in front of the Saiyan.

The blast wave was catastrophic, rocking the island on its foundations and disintegrating every single plateau, hill and boulder lying in the path of the kiai. It took several seconds for the tremors to finally subside, and once the rumbling and destruction in the wake of the invisible tsunami finally died down, all that remained of the event was a heavy cloud of dust hanging in the air and a completely flat real estate opportunity.

Golden aura still waving around him as he was watched by a stunned Zangya, Vegeta, Piccolo, Android 18 and an entire stadium of attentive viewers, the young Ascended Saiyan slowly reverted back to his first Super Saiyan form. His hair dropping to its blond Goku-esque spikiness, the young teenager stared ahead of him for about a minute. After which Gohan then turned around and beamed victoriously at his friends.

"That worked out better than I thought it would."

OOO

(Meanwhile)

Goku chuckled after watching his son and friends come out ahead in their battle against Bojack's gang through King Kai's telepathy. When he saw his boy stretch and go around making sure everyone was alright, the father took a deep breath and looked out over the infinite stretch of yellow clouds lying ahead of him.

"Yep… that's my boy," the Saiyan remarked proudly.

With Gregory and Bubbles dancing triumphantly in the background, having witnessed the entire thing on the television next to them, the now at ease North Kai smiled broadly. "You called it. Looks like everything worked out just fine after all."

"Uh-huh," Goku said as he looked back down at his son from above. "And I think things are going to be alright from here on out."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

_**Author's note: **_I made a couple of changes. Other than that, I like how the chapter originally was.


	5. Bojack Saga - Measure of Heroism

**Author's Note:** This chapter, which I know a lot of people appreciated from the last version, will wrap up the Bojack Saga and pave the way for the next arc. I promise, no more elves, alien tyrants, ex-Gods of Destruction, bounty hunters, or orphan Saiyans in this story- though you guys are missing out on a lot of good story.

I'm trying to fix the stupidity that is DB Super- but it's really hard to when most of the characters are bland, whacky, and uncool- oh, and most of them are dudes or monsters- a complete sausagefest. Very few strong girls, except from other universes, which makes writing a realistic story with girl characters within the universe much more difficult (you have to come up with so many excuses or retcon the shit out of characters). The only conceptually cool villains that ever came into DBZ are Cooler, the Androids, Cell, and Doctor Wheelo, which is sad when you consider the entire lineup.

I hate Zamasu because the guy never shuts up, I hate Goku Black after it was revealed it was Zamasu, Hit is... fine... I guess, Jiren is a walking slab of granite with room for improvement, I don't like Champa because he's discount, beer-belly Beerus, JELLY VEGETA- need I say more, Frieza in Super is a lot more of a pansy than I remember, and I hate Moro because his abilities are broken as fuck and his story is conceptually identical to King Piccolo's and Frieza's.

Hopefully I'll be able to rectify some of these mistakes in the future.

* * *

**Dragonball Z**

_**Golden Age**_

_Measure of Heroism_

(Sometime later)

Up in the stadium of _Battle Island II_, the spectators watched on with baited breath as the elevator to the central pyramid was activated- the dull hum of the machines working hard to bring the car from the central battle zone below ground back up to the surface. Several seconds of waiting later and the door at the top of the pyramid finally opened, and out of the smoke came the hero of the day- the very person who wiped out the leader of the intergalactic invaders.

But he wasn't alone.

Gohan, still assumed in his first Super Saiyan form and baring a few scratches and bruises from his fight with Bojack's gang, stepped out of the silo carrying an unconscious Krillin over his right back and supporting an injured Android 18 on his left side. Shortly thereafter, Tien walked out with Yamcha leaning off of his shoulder- both men having also regained consciousness following their battles, and bearing the many cuts and scuffs resulting from their respective encounters. The last to come through was Trunks, who'd also managed to get back up despite having suffered multiple torn muscles and broken bones from his decisive pummeling at the hands of Bojack.

The moment the members of the Dragon Squad appeared, they were immediately greeted by a loud onslaught of cheers and applause, as the crowd welcomed the victors back with open arms. Despite having been put through the meat grinder, the wounded heroes managed to raise their arms and wave to the people- returning their gestures with smiles and expressions of gratitude.

For the next few minutes, as the group of Z-fighters stood their basking in the adulation of the masses, the tournament's staff quickly sent for stretchers and nurses, who hurriedly scampered up the steps to collect the wounded. The brave warriors were then carried out of the stadium and towards the medical bays, leaving only Gohan and Tien standing in place.

Being the least wounded of them, the three-eyed warrior smiled after seeing his friends taken away to receive treatment, before turning to the young Super Saiyan standing beside him. "You did good, kid."

The boy in the damaged orange and blue gi looked up at the more experienced warrior and grinned. "Thanks, Tien. For everything."

"Don't sweat it." With one last, gracious nod, the Z-fighter then raised a hand and gave the child a wave. "And good luck. Go win this tournament for us." He then walked to the edge of the pyramid and hopped over the side, where he then touched down on ground level and made his way out of the arena via one of its outlying exits.

Once the warrior had departed from the scene, Gohan turned his attention back to the crowds. As soon as his gaze trained on the people packing the stands, he heard them give another big cheer, which helped to put a smile on his face.

Over where his family and friends were sitting, Chi-Chi was in a state of utter joy and happiness. While Bulma was more than glad to see her son and everybody else emerge from the battle in one piece, she couldn't compare to the raven haired mother, who was currently clutching her hands together and doing her best to hold back tears.

"I'm… so proud of him," Chi-Chi whimpered, at the same time inhaling deeply when she saw her son standing atop the pyramid with his head held high. "He's exactly what his father was like back then. All those years ago." From where she sat, she could almost see her husband's outline standing directly in her boy's shadow.

At the same time, up in her part of the stadium and hanging off of the railings, a completely overwhelmed Videl was grinning excitedly at her newfound friend, whose face she could see displayed on all the stadium's monitors. When she saw his eyes lock onto the camera and his smile come in full force, the young girl couldn't help but feel her chest swell with delight and her eyes glimmer with admiration.

"You got this, Gohan," Videl whispered, expressing her confidence in the adolescent to be able to win. After the battle he'd just gone through, he definitely deserved to be the winner.

As the crowds clamored and moved with excitement, the voice of the commentator suddenly blared throughout all the speakers. _**"Here he is, folks! The last man standing! Having crossed the chaotic landscape of the final battle zone and defeated his intergalactic opponent in decisive combat, young Son Gohan has returned to the arena victorious- and is all set to take on the strongest man in the world! MR. SATAN!"**_ This name caused a loud roar of excitement to echo throughout the colosseum, which was then followed by the stadium lights switching on to illuminate the entire arena. _**"It's time to get the main event underway!"**_

The moment the man's scream rang out, a loud whirring of machinery and a low rumbling started to ring out. Gohan, still poised at the top of the pyramid, stumbled momentarily in surprise as he felt the structure beneath him begin to move and shift. Watching the tracks for the rocket pods attached to the pyramid retract into the walls of the arena and the ground open up around him, the blond warrior then looked down in awe as the pyramid he was standing on started to transform.

Huge chunks of the building started to move and separate from one another, like the pieces of a 3D jigsaw puzzle. The cause of this was in fact a series of massive mechanical gears built into the structure and the floor beneath it, the components of which were designed to break down and separate the pieces of the edifice one section at a time. After the base divided and the edges of it moved out, the pyramid then started to sink into the floor. Layers by layer, level by level it went, dropping into the ground until the entire structure had transformed into a tiled floor.

In just two minutes, the entire pyramid had been reformed into a flat, square arena similar to that of the World Tournament ring.

Gohan, who was standing smack bang in the center of it, managed to regain his footing and smiled. "Whoa. That's neat," he remarked, at the same time tapping the stone beneath him with the base of his foot. With his fighting platform established, the Saiyan then raised his right hand and clenched it in front of him excitedly. _"Alright. Time to finish this tournament,"_ the boy thought to himself.

"_**And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for! The final round is about to commence!"**_ the commentator's voice called out again, stirring up the crowd and building up their anticipation for the match to come. _**"In the ring, we have our frontrunner and winner of the tournament's semi-finals! Son Gohan!"**_ Another roar ripped through the air as the crowd applauded the boy in question, who simply stood out in the ring smiling in his usual carefree manner. _**"And the man he has travelled all this way to challenge; the savior of our world, the current World Martial Arts Champion and the Strongest Under Heaven! Everyone, give it up for Hercule Satan!"**_

The loudest cheer was apparently reserved for the big man himself, as the entire island seemingly erupted into applause. To mark his grand entrance, stage lights lit up along a pathway from one of the entrances behind Gohan, who glanced over his shoulder when he heard the thumps of the electrics kicking in. The moment his eyes landed on the archway at the base of the arena, he saw the caped form of his final opponent come marching into view.

A boisterous chant from the crowd then started up. With their fists in the air and their eyes alight with fire, the people all across the island began calling out 'Mr. Satan' over and over again, with many breaking out into random cheers and whistles. While the members of the Z-fighters who were present didn't mind the display of worship from the people, Videl was mortified beyond belief, and simply stood where she was trying to hide her face.

As the calls of praise and adoration continued to rain down on the arena, Gohan watched as the Champ himself marched up the steps provided and took up position on the edge of the ring. Once there, the man gripped billowing cape, unclasped it, and threw it onto the wind, where it got caught and drifted across the ring to fall in what was now the out-of-bounds area.

Eyes gleaming with excitement, Gohan faced off against the tall, hulking man that was Hercule- who currently had his knuckles resting on his hips and a confident smile framed by his glorious mustache and goatee. With his championship belt also wrapped securely around his waist, the man looked as dignified and awe-inspiring as he ever had before.

It didn't escape the young Saiyan's notice that the man also had a bit of rolled up toilet paper stuck around his arm. Ignoring it however, the young hero turned around and faced the man down completely.

Despite being surrounded by thousands of spectators and dozens of cameras, the ever-sociable Gohan couldn't help but share a few words of greeting with the world's savior. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Satan, sir," the young demi-Saiyan spoke, at the same time mustering up his usual, cheerful grin. "How have you been?"

Still remaining poised and collected, Hercule grinned back at the child proudly, "Why, I've been doing just fine, young man. Thank you for asking." The voice that he used was brimming with sureness and showmanship- the true marks of a man who'd grown up in the spotlight. "Congratulations on making it through the semi-finals. To face off against the strongest warriors from across the galaxy and come out the other end with your head still attached, is nothing short of impressive. You've got a great deal of talent for someone who is so young."

"Heh. Thanks. I can tell you, it wasn't easy. Though we were mostly outnumbered and outgunned, my friends and I were able to pull through together," Gohan admitted with a nod, at the same time taking a small step forward. His planting his foot in the ground was a clear indication of what his intentions were, as was the act of balling his fists up at his sides. "And now it's finally come down to this- the final round. Are you ready, sir?"

"Heh. Kid… I was _born_ ready!" Hercule replied in a big voice, which boomed nice and proud across the ring. He then brought out his hand and slammed his thumb into his chest in a declarative manner. "The World Martial Arts Champion- Mr. Satan- will gladly accept your challenge! Let's show these people what we're made of and have a good match!"

"Yes!" Gohan chirped, quickly sliding forward into his father's trademark Hung Ga stance and setting his sights squarely on his final opponent. He knew full well that Hercule wasn't even close to being as strong as the soldiers of Bojack's crew. However, from the excited look in his eye, it was clear the child wanted to play along with this and give the audience a good show. Raising his forward hand higher while it was curved into the signature tiger palm, the child smirked. "Let's go!"

"_**The combatants are set!"**_ the commentator shouted over the microphone as the crowds cheered and applauded for the two warriors in the arena. _**"Two warriors stand in the ring, but only one will walk away with the title of Strongest in the Galaxy and the cash prize of over a hundred million zeni! Let's get this final round of the Intergalactic Martial Arts Tournament underway!"**_

As the crowds cheered and roared around them, obviously looking forward to the battle to come, Hercule Satan was experiencing a little crisis at the moment. While his opponent was more than eager to get their fight underway and the World Champion returned the kid's enthusiasm with his own trademark boasting, inside the would-be savior of the world was freaking the hell out.

"_Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no-hohohooo! Why? How can this be happening to me?!"_ Hercule wept inwardly, his right eye subtly twitching as he stood there in the ring, shaking in his boots. _"I'm finished. It's all over. He's going to beat me in front of all these people and laugh. There's no way I'm getting out of this." _Though he was confident in his own strength and the people adored him for his feats and showmanship, the man knew full well what he was up against here. After seeing what'd transpired on the television screens across the Battle Island, the World Champ had every reason to believe that his charade had finally come to an end. Inhaling deeply through his nose, Hercule then clenched the fist at his hip tightly and willfully ordered his legs to stop shaking._ "Well… if this is going to be my last moments as World Champion… then I'm going down swinging!"_

However, just as Hercule was about to set himself into a stance and go charging into what he assumed was going to be a completely unwinnable battle, the man suddenly saw the spiky haired blond youngster smile and wink at him. This at first had the bearded man pause in confusion for several moments, before the referee's exclamation over the loud speakers broke the stand-off.

"_**Fighters! Let the match begin!"**_ the man shouted, a split second before the starting buzzer blared across the island, drawing yet another roar from the spectators…

OOO

(Meanwhile)

Beneath the arena, inside the partially destroyed dome that served as the central and last battle zone for the semi-final round of the private tournament, the ruins of the artificial city could be seen standing silhouetted against the fake skyline. Its multitude of structures and towers- decimated by the fierce fighting that had taken place in the wake of Bojack's arrival- teetered on the precipice of collapse. The entire scene was a haunting reminder of the incredible power displayed by those who'd passed through here and the destruction that they had brought them with them.

And of course, amidst the ruined buildings and the bombed out landscape, on the valley just outside of the town itself, stood one of the last survivors of the carnage. This took the form of a slightly banged up Zangya, who- now reverted back to her base form of orange hair and blue skin- had taken up position at the top of a hill overlooking the entire battle zone. A gentle gust of wind from the atmosphere simulator kicked up around her, sending a cloud of dust billowing across the barren wilderness.

Feeling her hair ruffle against the chill, the young woman from another world allowed a sad smile to grace her delicate features, as she slowly came to the stifling realization of her situation.

Despite her sour mood, she was still somewhat aware of her surroundings. This became apparent when her head perked up and she promptly addressed the elephant in the room- in other words the Namekian who was standing directly behind her.

"You don't have to watch me, you know. I'm not planning on doing anything malicious," Zangya said, not even bothering to look behind her as she knew Piccolo was glaring at her from a safe few yards away.

The Namekian- his clothes, cape and turban patched up thanks to his magic- grunted as he kept his eyes fixed on the alien female. "That remains to be seen," was the man's immediate and gruff response. "Though you may have helped us out at the end of the battle against Bojack, it doesn't change the fact that you were working for him as one of his compatriots. Until I have reason otherwise, I plan on keeping a close eye on you from now on."

Breathing a heavy sigh, the orange haired alien fighter then straightened her back and muttered, "Fine. It's not like I have a choice anyway." Her eyes staying glued to the false horizon of the ruined landscape, the young woman allowed a long sigh to leave her. "Now that Bojack and my team are dead… I have no idea where I should go or what to do next." A sad look slowly came over her visage as a sickening feeling gripped at her stomach. "I have no money, no home, and all of my people were wiped out a long time ago." The way her face twisted showed how broken up she was on the inside. This was only further indicated by the tone of her voice. "Bojack, Gokuha, Bido and Bujin were the only members of my race who were left. But now that they're gone, I'm… all alone."

Hearing the woman loud and clear from where he stood, the green warrior and former guardian of the earth closed his eyes in thought. "I'm sorry to hear that." He then looked up at the woman, noticing as her hair billowed on a light wind. "It was a tough battle for everyone on both sides. Since your friends were the ones who attacked us first, you left us no other choice but to fight."

"I know," Zangya replied sadly, her eyes lowering to the floor as a rather despondent look came over her. "You guys were just defending yourselves and the planet you call home. My group drew first blood… and after the number of people the five of us killed over the years, it's clear we got what we deserved." It was then, as she was staring down at the ground, the woman suddenly clenched her hands in frustration. "But… if I'd just-… if the two of us had acted sooner, then… then maybe all of this…"

Her words had Piccolo look up at her and cock his brow in confusion, as the mumblings she started were broken up. However, judging from her tone and shaking posture, it appeared that what she was trying to say was striking a very hard chord inside of her. It was making her upset.

Just when it seemed like Zangya was going to mount some sort of outburst or make some other comment, the woman's eyes suddenly widened when she picked up something on the wind. Gaze cutting across the landscape in alarm, the Hera-seijin focused in on the source of the problem. When she eventually honed in on the source, the woman suddenly took flight, alerting Piccolo to a problem.

The Namekian gave pursuit of the retreating alien, bracing himself for a possible confrontation. He kept his guard up as they flew past the ruins and over the devastated landscape, covering a fair distance in under a minute. When the pair eventually arrived over one of the open areas of the battle zone, Piccolo eventually saw Zangya begin a quick descent to the ground and promptly followed her lead.

When he touched down on the floor a few yards behind the woman, the former guardian saw Zangya jog over to what he quickly identified as one of her fallen comrades. A quick inspection of the individual allowed Piccolo to identify him as Trunks' opponent, as well as the one that he'd fought before switching out with the time-traveling Saiyan.

As to who his name was, Zangya quickly revealed it when she dropped down to her knees beside him.

"Gokuha," the woman whispered, slowly reaching out to his body before stopping when she saw the piece of sword sticking in the back of his neck. Gasping, the orange haired female analyzed the damage he'd taken and the devastating injury he'd suffered. Upon which she then reached forward and carefully rolled him over. When she did, she heard the man give a low groan, quickly telling her that he was still alive. "Gokuha? Are you…? Please tell me you're still…"

All of a sudden, the seemingly dead alien sword-user gave a few choked coughs, which caused purple blood to trickle out of the corners of his mouth. Upon which, through a strained face, the warrior wearing the headband slowly opened his tired eyes, before looking across at the person who was holding his head in their lap. When the blurriness faded and the man clearly saw his comrade Zangya staring down at him, the severely wounded warrior's eyes widened.

"Z-Zangya…?" the man said in a hoarse voice, at the same time he saw the woman's concerned gaze boring into him. "What… happened? D-Did we… did we win? Did Master Bojack…?" His words were sharply cut off by a violent cough, which resulted in blood splattering out of his mouth and down his top. The result had Zangya recoil a little, but the woman still held her ground and looked down at her friend with a sad glimmer in her eyes.

In all honesty, this was a bit of a shocking situation. Just when Piccolo thought that all of Bojack's henchmen had been killed in their respective confrontations with the other Z-fighters, this one had managed to hold on. Even after having a piece of a sword lodged in the back of his spine, the man was still able to retain some level of consciousness, despite the fact that any normal warrior would be long dead. This proved just how tough the man actually was and how determined he was to stay alive.

However, judging from the amount of blood he'd lost as well as how deep the wound was, it was clear he wasn't going to last much longer. The realization had the Namekian frown deeply, yet he restrained himself from making any comments.

Swallowing nervously, the kneeling Zangya felt a small smile tug at the corner of her lip, before she smiled down at her fellow warrior, whom she saw was bleeding out and close to fading. "Bojack's gone, Gokuha. Bido and Bujin too. The warriors of this world… they killed them." Her eyes shimmered as she saw a shocked look come over the weakened man's face, which in turn caused a lump to form in her throat. "You don't have to hide it anymore. It's over."

"Th-Then…" the swordsman asked, his eyes glancing from her and to their surroundings, before slowly pulling back to his teammate and former superior. "It's done? W-We're… free?"

Zangya, hearing the tremor in the man's voice as the full realization of the situation hit him, put on a weak smile as tears slowly appeared in the corners of her eyes. "Yes. Yes, we are." Sniffling a little bit, the woman tentatively brought up a hand and brushed it over her eyes, clearing her sight before returning to smiling down at her friend, whose energy she slowly felt was slipping away. "We don't have to follow his orders anymore."

"Th-That's good…" Gokuha wheezed, taking a deep breath before slowly mustering a smile towards his comrade. "I… I tried my best… to get strong enough… to challenge him one day. I trained… I worked… I bled… all for the day you and I would finally be able… to rid ourselves of him… and the others." Coughing for a moment as more blood dribbled from his mouth, the weakened warrior took a few deep breaths to steady himself, before looking back up at his friend. "But… it seems that… I didn't work hard enough…"

"Don't say that. You did plenty," Zangya reassured, bringing up her hand and resting it against the side of his head. Upon feeling him lean into it slightly, the woman felt her body tremble with anxiety, which she quickly suppressed. "I only wish that I was able to do more. For both of us."

At those words, the fading Gokuha stared at her for a moment, before allowing another smile to tug at his lips. "I know… that you'll be able to *cough*… to make things right. For you… your family… for all of us," the man whispered, drawing a surprised look from the woman as she saw her fellow Hera cough once again. "You're… the last of our people now… Zangya. This second chance… this chance to start again… was given to you and you alone…" Slowly, but surely, the man shakily reached up with one of his hands, and gently rested it on top of his friend's hand, which was still resting against his temple. Feeling her respond, the swordsman then gave her the biggest grin he could muster. "Please… don't waste it."

Zangya only had enough time to give the man one last smile, moments before the light in the man's eyes went out moments later, and his lids closed. The second they did, his hand dropped, his body stilled, and his heart stopped beating. The female Hera remained by his side to the point his ki vanished from her senses and when it did, the orange-haired warrior shut her eyes and said a little prayer to herself.

Piccolo meanwhile, having wisely chosen to remain silent throughout, could only look on with a noticeably sympathetic visage as the woman made her final goodbyes to her friend and comrade. Not wanting to ruin the moment for her, the Namekian remained still- his arms crossed and a calm look stretched across his normally stern face.

After a couple of minutes ticked by, the emotionally racked Zangya, seeing her friend's tri-corner saber lying nearby, reached over and picked it up. Upon weighing the weapon evenly between her hands, she then laid it to rest on the body's chest and carefully set his hands over it. When she removed the tip of Trunks's blade lodged in the back of his neck, she then slipped off her ruined vest, folded it into a makeshift pillow, and gently laid Gokuha's head atop of it.

Once she was certain she'd left her friend in a dignified position on the ground, she then stood up and stepped away. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Zangya waited a moment as she drank in the sight of her fallen friend, before quietly raising her hand, aiming her palm at him, and sending a small red speck of energy towards his body. The moment the tiny ember landed on his chest, his entire body suddenly became surrounded by bright red flames- which swallowed up his form and began to incinerate him completely.

"_**Rad-cín waui bar, Gokuha,"**_ (Find your way home, Gokuha) Zangya whispered in a clear alien language, lowering her arm as she watched the flames lick at the air- sending its embers drifting onto the wind and across the landscape. _**"N-at sídh."**_ (Be at peace) Her sad blue eyes trailed after the dancing lights, shimmering as the remains of her comrade were scattered across the plains of his last battlefield.

Silence then reigned over the vicinity, in which the female spent the next couple of minutes watching as Gokuha's body was reduced to ash. Once he was certain an appropriate amount of time has passed, Piccolo cautiously approached the woman and stood at her side, upon which he then quietly glanced down at her.

"Were the two of you… _close_?" Piccolo asked curiously, not really sure where to lead off but doing his best to keep his assumptions low.

Zangya lowered her head as she observed the rest of Gokuha's body crumble away under the hot red flames. "Gokuha and I were old friends," the female Hera stated, her brow crinkling sadly in thought. "Despite the fact that I was Bojack's number one lieutenant, he was the only one in the group that I trusted and looked out for, since both of us came from the same village." She then looked across at the Namekian and saw him staring at her. "When we first joined Bojack's crew after he wiped out our race, there were twenty three of us in total- each one coming from different parts of our home world. Gokuha was a member of our kingdom's royal guard… and I was an instructor for the army's warriors. After Bojack rebelled against the kingdom and slaughtered all of our people, we were left with no other choice but to join him on his crusade across the galaxy."

This information had the Namekian frown in displeasure, as he could hear how badly effected by her past the Hera had been. Upon weighing up the information he'd been given, the former guardian of Earth spoke, "You could've fought back. Since there were so many of you, I'm sure that working together you could've stopped him from going on his rampage."

"Easier said than done." The Hera shook her head and looked away. "Back before Bojack turned on his own people, he was regarded by everyone as the single, most powerful warrior on our planet and touted as our military's greatest weapon. His raw strength, savagery, and skill in combat was of the highest caliber known to the Hera, so much so that he was constantly tasked with tackling the most dangerous assignments the army had to offer- ones that were thought to be impossible to complete, even by an entire battalion of troops." Zangya frowned as she recounted her boss's bloody history. "He was practically treated as expendable muscle by our commanders- forced to fight in battles that he didn't even know or understand. Every job Bojack went on was always expected to be his last. But against all odds, he managed to return from every one of them alive, bringing with him proof of his bloody conquests and a fresh new scar on his body. With every victory, his legend, his hatred of his people, and his strength grew- to the point there wasn't a single person on our world capable of contesting him." Zangya then took in a deep breath to quell the shiver that ran down her back at the memory of her boss's hulking visage walking through the former front gates of her people's palace- carrying with him the heads of the leaders of their race's enemies. "This was proven on the day he finally snapped."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes on the woman, "What did he do?"

The woman shuddered before clenching her fists nervously. "After returning from a mission to wipe out the population of a heavily fortified world on the edge of our system's borders, Bojack- along with a small group of loyal followers- assaulted the capital and attacked the palace. He single-handedly massacred all of the warriors on the king's personal guard, before challenging the ruler himself to one-on-one combat." She then gritted her teeth as the next string of memories hit her. "After ripping the king's heart out and butchering his family, Bojack then went from one village to the next… destroying each and every one of them until only a handful of us remained." Zangya, feeling tears beginning to well up again, bit them back by shutting her eyes. "He wiped out over two million people in one day… including my family. I fought, I vented, I begged… but I was unable to stop him. He struck me down and forced me to watch as he killed my parents and my little brother… saying he would do the same to me if I didn't lend him my power."

Hearing this story had the Namekian give the woman a sad look, while also causing his gaze to soften somewhat. "Did… any of your crew try to stand up to Bojack? Speak out against him?"

"Once," Zangya replied, looking up as she recalled the former faces of her old team. "My former sergeant Gota, along with half of the original gang, confronted Bojack and tried to kill him. But like everyone else who attempted to defy him, he suffered before being destroyed." A distasteful glare was the woman's following reaction. "That monster always liked making examples of people… even when not prompted to. He was broken before we even became mercenaries."

Upon piecing everything together, Piccolo then gave a nod of understanding, "So you and your friend played the roles of loyal supporters to hide the fact that the two of you were secretly plotting against him." He then cocked a brow, "You deliberately followed his orders to attack other planets in order to train and get stronger… all for the day that you would finally be able to take him down?"

"Yes. At least… that's what we were hoping," Zangya replied softly, watching as the flames in front of her slowly started to fade away, as the body that was her friend's was no longer providing the blaze a kindle. "To be honest, I thought that Bojack would never be stopped. After everything he did… and after all the destruction he'd brought, I didn't think there was a single person left in the galaxy who could possibly defeat him. Gokuha still believed that one day he would be able to beat Bojack one-on-one. But even with his discovery of our Super Hera form, against our master's savagery I knew it wouldn't be enough." A smile then slowly tugged at her lips when, from the darkness of her memories, a golden light suddenly appeared and chased away the images of death brought on by her group's leader. "But then we came to this world… and I ran into _him_."

Knowing immediately who she was referring to, Piccolo allowed a smile of his own to break out as he turned his gaze towards the battlefield before him. "Gohan?"

Giving a nod of her own, the orange haired female warrior spoke, "At first I thought he was just like every other brave, hopeful child we encountered- young, innocent, naïve, yet one possessing an adventurous spirit constantly seeking out greater challenges- even against someone as terrifying as Bojack. But when we fought, he quickly showed me that he was far more than that." She then turned and smiled back at Piccolo. "He helped me to find the strength I thought I'd once lost… and brought me back into the light."

This statement had the Namekian's chest swell with pride for his student, as the former guardian of earth glanced back at the beaming woman. "He's a really special kid- that Gohan. Even after all the pain and hardship he's had to endure over the years, he always managed to find a reason to smile, and look to the future with an open heart and an open mind. Every person he meets- whether they are good or bad- always become amazed by his show of strength." Looking back on all of their past battles, Piccolo knew he didn't need to search hard for proof of Gohan's influence on people. "If you hang around him long enough, I'm sure you'll come to see for yourself exactly what I mean."

Zangya, upon hearing this from Piccolo, looked down at the ground for a moment before eventually turning to beam at the horizon.

"You know what… I think I'll do that."

With that said, both the Hera and the Namekian remained where they were, watching the fake sky above them and feeling the wind of the battle zone whip at their clothes. When the embers of the flames that'd cremated Gokuha's body finally disappeared a few minutes later, leaving only the man's saber behind, Zangya picked up the weapon, swung it through the air a couple of times, before eventually setting it into her belt.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Zangya felt a great weight had been lifted from her. The shackles of fear and oppression were no longer bound to her soul, and though she had no idea what her future held for her, the woman knew that she finally had a chance to make things right and redeem herself for all the wrongs she'd done. Though the universe laid open for her to explore, the Hera felt the best place for her to start making a difference was right here on earth.

The question as to where to start however rested entirely on her.

After a long moment of silence had come and gone, just as Piccolo and Zangya were lost in their own thoughts, a loud roar from shook the pair out of their dazes. Turning their attention upwards and focusing in on the dull sounds filtering into the large, underground battle arena, the duo quickly determined what those noises actually were.

"Sounds like quite the party is happening up there," Zangya remarked, her senses quickly picking up the heightened energy levels of the plus two-hundred thousand humans packed together inside the stadium that was the starting point of this large competition.

"Hm," Piccolo grunted back, also guessing right that something crazy quite incredible was going on to draw that much praise and adulation from the audience.

Exactly as to what that is, the pair had a few ideas… and all of them started with Gohan.

OOO

(Meanwhile)

For some reason, the crowds were completely losing their minds over watching their beloved super champion and "undisputed strongest man in the world" Hercule Satan, duking it out with the winner of the semi-final round of the _Intergalactic Martial Arts Tournament_\- Gohan.

And by duking it out, it really just involved the man with the fabulous afro pursuing the young blond across the newly formed ring in the center of the _Battle Island 2_ stadium, trying to land one of his trademark haymakers on him. But despite his bravado, his shouting, and his flashy MMA move set, all the poor man was able to hit was wind and air, as the cheerful young Saiyan effortlessly dodged and evaded every single one of his enormous blows.

As all this was going down, the referee monitoring the battle from the sidelines couldn't help but call out the fighters' praises, _**"Mr. Satan unleashes a lightning-fast barrage of attacks upon his opponent! The force behind his blows are so great you can literally hear the whoosh behind each punch as they fly past his foe. Son Gohan probably realizes how strong Mr. Satan is and has decided the best thing he can do is dodge and avoid getting hit!"**_ The tone of the announcer's voice was filled with verve and excitement… probably a little bit too much. _**"How long will he be able to hold out against the strongest man in the world?!"**_

Sure, it looked impressive from a normal person's point of view- seeing the world's most famous celebrity trying to catch a kid who was moving like a veritable blur around him. But from the Z-fighters' point of view, it was kind of mundane.

To his credit, Hercule Satan was indeed incredibly strong by normal, human standards. He won the _World Martial Arts Tournament_ fair and square using his own brand of fighting, and he was loved and respected by numerous people for his stunt work and superhuman feats. Cutting dozens of tiles in half with a single chop as well as hauling four buses behind him for an ordinary person was nothing to sneeze out. The guy clearly had a great deal of strength to back up his bark.

But when pitted against a boy who could literally bench press islands on one hand as a way to kill time, the man was at a serious disadvantage.

However, despite the enormous power gap between him and his opponent, the martial arts champion wasn't going to go down without a fight. So, with the same finesse and attitude he approached every one of his contests, Hercule unleashed all of the attacks he could on his pre-adolescent opponent, striking out at him with a flurry of punches and kicks in rapid succession. Even when none of them landed, the man didn't let up, and simply went after his foe as he skipped back across the ring.

"**Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan!"** the audience chanted in the background.

"Go, Champ! You got this!"

"You're the greatest, Mr. Satan!"

"You're amazing!"

The crowd's cheers and applause raining down all around spurred the man on, who after a flurry of jabs, loaded up his right. A big grin quickly tugged at his lips, _"The eyes of the world… and all of my fans are watching me! I have to show them that I am still their champion! That I'm a man who won't back down, even if the odds are stacked against me!"_ He then lunged forward and gritted his teeth as his knuckles cut through the air towards Gohan, who he could see was practically hovering right in front of him and smiling. _"He may be worlds stronger than me… but I don't care! I'll show him the power of the world martial arts champion!"_ With a yell, the man then let his fist fly, "MEGATON PUNCH!"

A loud bang rang out a split second later when the martial artist's fist finally connected with something, causing Hercule to lurch to a stop and causing a deathly silence to fall over the stands. The people all across the stadium all looked on and gaped as their champion made contact with his foe and remained frozen in place with his punch fully extended. Even the members of the Z-fighters who were watching remained just as silent as everybody else.

While Hercule blinked in shock at finally managed to land a solid blow, his eyes then widened in fear when he saw Gohan had lifted his arm across his face and had caught his punch flush in the forearm. Despite having put all of his weight behind his attack, Hercule was stunned to see the boy hadn't budged an inch, nor did he looked effected in the slightest.

"_**Incredible!"**_ the announcer blared over the speakers surrounding the stadium, _**"The tournament semi-finalist Son Gohan has just taken a direct blow from the mighty Hercule Satan- and he is still standing!"**_

In fact, when the demi-Saiyan moved his guard arm to the side ever so slightly, he revealed a very cheerful and unperturbed expression. As pleasant and friendly as it appeared, it was probably the most horrifying thing Hercule Satan had ever laid eyes on.

"_Giiiiiii! I-I'm dead!"_ Hercule bellowed in his head, a completely exaggerated expression of sheer terror immediately coming over his face as he stood there, trembling like a leaf as his fist remained planted against the boy's limb._ "He's… going to… kill me…"_

By all accounts, he had every right to believe that. After all, he's practically stolen the credit for killing Cell away from him after he'd disappeared and sold that lie all across the world. All his supporters, backers, friends and fans knew of the story. Hell, he'd even told his daughter, whom had come along to this tournament and was probably watching right now. If this young man held any hatred or scorn in his heart, he had every right to take it out on him right here and now, in front of the entire world.

Hercule actually braced himself for the inevitable.

However, just when he thought he was going to have his face or chest caved in by a punch, the demi-Saiyan in front of him suddenly leaned forward and said under his voice.

"Thank you… for what you did back then during the Cell Games," Gohan whispered, causing Hercule to crack open an eye and look across at him in surprise. "If you hadn't thrown Android 16's head towards me when you did, I wouldn't have been able to step up to fight back against Cell… and neither one of us would be standing here right now. You saved us."

Blinking in momentary shock, the bearded martial artist gulped loudly before replying in a low voice, "Uh… y-you're welcome."

Gohan nodded and, as he and his opponent continued to hold their ground, the young hero continued to speak, "I know you took the credit for beating him." When he saw his words cause Hercule to pale and look up at him with saucers for eyes, the calm Super Saiyan grinned. "It's okay though. My friends and I don't mind that you got the honors for Cell's defeat after we left. As long as the earth and the people are safe, it doesn't matter one way or another to us whether someone says they did it or not. We just want to live a peaceful life alongside everyone else… and if my family and friends are mentioned to the public in any way, I'd rather it be in a good light. Is that okay with you?"

After taking a moment to process the youngster's words, the rather astonished world champion briskly nodded his head, while at the same time still pushing his fist against the boy's arm. "Y-Yes. Yes. Of course it is!" Hercule then gave the boy a wide smile. "Thank you. And thank you again for saving all of us from that monster. I know that the battle with Cell was really hard on all of you. Not to mention the battle you just finished against those creatures." He could tell from the current state the youngster was in- what with his torn gi and the bruises he was still freshly wearing.

The young Saiyan grinned. "Yeah. It was tough. But everything was resolved in the end." He then gave a light-hearted chuckle as he and the Champ continued to push against each other. "Luckily you didn't have to be there to throw anymore heads for us."

At this, the man in the afro chuckled and held his head up high, "If the time comes for it, I'll be more than happy to do it again."

Gohan gave a laugh of his own, "Thanks. But fingers crossed you won't have to." After exchanging big grins with the man across from him, the young Super Saiyan then beamed. "Well... I think it's about time we wrapped this up now, huh?"

Hearing this had Hercule's face twist into one of concern, "Uh. Sure. I-I think you're right."

Sensing his uncertainty, Gohan smiled, "Don't worry. I'll make it look like a close match between us. This way the both of us will be able to walk away as winners. Trust me. Just play along." After giving the Champ a look and seeing him gaze apprehensively back at him, the boy then saw him gulp and nod, before his expression once again steeled with confidence. "Throw a punch… now."

At his prompt, Hercule quickly drew back his extended fist and threw it towards Gohan, who in turn also drew back his arm and threw a punch. In that moment, the sharp young Saiyan took action. Rising up on the toes of his forward foot ever so slightly, the blond warrior then gave a sharp pivot into the floor, resulting in his boot digging into the arena at high speed. The strength he exerted in that instant generated a shockwave that kicked up between both him and Hercule, not only knocking the world champion off the ground and sending him tumbling through the air, but also causing the demi-Saiyan to go flying backward at speed.

At least that's what it looked like from the audience's point of view- the entire stadium giving a collective gasp of amazement due to the show of force exerted by the duo.

In actuality, the calmly smiling Gohan had managed to deliberately set off a blast of wind small enough that it not only harmlessly knocked Hercule off his feet, it also allowed the adolescent to jump away without being noticed. The manner in which he did so made it seem like he'd been sent flying, with the demi-Saiyan using his ki to deliberately slow his flight and time his descent with that of Hercule Satan.

After leveling out following a few yards of gliding, Hercule braced himself when he felt his body begin to fall- his back grazing over the concrete arena before suddenly flying over the edge of the ring. A split second later, the man touched down on soft soil, gracefully skidding across the ground at the base of the ring for several feet before eventually slowing to a stop.

Gohan meanwhile did the same thing, only he touched down on the ground a second later and scraped against it with his back. A few yards of sliding later and he eventually flipped over and back onto his feet, where he landed in a crouched position.

When the dust from the pair's respective flights settled moments later, it left the stadium in a stunned silence, as they'd just witnessed both fighters do something truly incredible. It was almost as if they'd just seen a double knockout, only both warriors were still conscious.

After a full minute of silence seemingly ticked by, the referee that'd been observing the battle from the side of the square ring suddenly snapped back to life before screaming into his microphone. _**"U-Unbelievable! After a full minute of grappling fiercely with one another, both Son Gohan and Hercule Satan threw a punch at one another simultaneously. When their fists connected, it generated a shockwave so powerful that not only did it send both of them flying out of bounds, it also shattered the entire ring!"**_

Everyone could see it. Leading out from the small crater Gohan had produced with his pivot, the entire square platform had fractured in all directions- resulting in multiple cracks moving out from the center of the ring in a spider web formation. The gaps were also so wide that it was a miracle the entire thing hadn't crumbled into rubble.

The entire crowd had been left speechless, with even an observing Videl showcasing incredulity at what had just transpired.

As for the two competitors, while Gohan remained crouched on the floor, he watched as his opponent- after blinking out of his stunned daze and realizing he was still alive- promptly lifted his legs up and sprang to his feet. The manner in which he did so drew a collective gasp from everyone present, with Hercule rising up to full height and glaring across the ring in his typical, brave warrior fashion.

The moment he did so, the entire crowd gave a massive cheer.

"_**What an unexpected development! Both warriors have been knocked out of bounds, but neither of them has a scratch on them! And they're still standing! But which one of them touched the ground first?!"**_ the referee asked, quickly turning towards the runners he had nearby and waving to them to check the monitors at the station nearby. _**"We're checking the footage right now. Everyone, please turn your attention to the monitors."**_

The entire crowd then looked towards the big screen, where everyone then saw recordings of both martial artists play simultaneously alongside one another- from their last exchange all the way to the point they both flew out of bounds. A clamor started up amongst the crowd as they watched the repeat, with both Gohan and Hercule walking back out onto the ring and standing alongside one another.

The giant of a martial artist and his blond haired opponent turned their attention towards the same screen- expressions reflecting both poise and seriousness as they observed the final moments of their 'epic clash'.

The fight moderators working the cameras played the last clip over repeatedly from multiple angles, showing both Gohan and Hercule blast away from one another, fly out of bounds, before eventually landing out of the ring. After replaying the footage about a dozen times, everyone in the stadium clearly saw Hercule land first, with Gohan landing approximately three full seconds later.

"_**And there you have it folks!"**_ the referee cried out from ringside, his voice booming over the murmuring of the audience as he then gestured towards the two fighters. _**"Though it was a close one, after an incredible display of skill, strength and tenacity, the winner of the Intergalactic Martial Arts Tournament's final round and winner of this entire competition is Son Gohan! LET'S HEAR IT!"**_ All at once, the crowd then gave a massive cheer- their cries and screams practically shaking the stadium on its foundations. _**"All fighters fought long and hard against one another in each round, from the preliminary stage to the semi-finals. But only one of them was allowed to emerge victorious today… and that person is this young man right here!"**_

As the crowds cheered and cried out for the two warriors, drowning the entire atmosphere in their praises, after looking out over the colosseum both Gohan and Hercule quietly turned to one another. When the world champion martial artist saw the demi-Saiyan's green eyes glance up at him, the big man in the karate gi then cracked a smile.

"That was a smooth move, kid," Hercule said, at the same time bringing his hands up and setting them on his hips. "Well played."

Gohan, smiling in his typical, warm manner, nodded back to the champion happily, "Heh. Thanks. Since nobody really saw what happened, you can say that you held back against me and that you let me win out of good sport."

This statement had Hercule recoil slightly in surprise, "Huh? R-Really? You… want me to say that to them?"

"Sure," the youngster replied quickly and assuredly, before also placing a hand on his hip. "This way you can keep up the appearance of a good champion and a hero… and I can go back to my family with the prize money. Since my mum works so hard to take care of us every day, I know she could really use it." A grin the tugged at the young Super Saiyan's lips when he saw Hercule appear astonished at his words. "And hey- it's always good to have a rival in the ring, isn't it?"

Upon processing the Saiyan's statement, Mr. Satan then allowed a soft smile to appear under his mustache. Giving the youngster a nod of approval, the man in the afro then extended his hand and patted the boy on the shoulder. Though the act of doing so initially terrified him, after speaking with the young Saiyan and seeing his good nature up close for himself, the Champ knew he didn't have anything to fear from him.

"You're a good kid, Gohan," Hercule said.

While the demi-Saiyan blushed a little in embarrassment at the man's comment, he was then caught off guard when the martial arts champion suddenly grabbed his wrist and held up his arm in a victorious fashion. The moment the Champ turned to the audience and showed them Gohan with his fist raised, another loud cheer echoed throughout the colosseum, with the people beginning to chant both 'Son Gohan' and 'Mr. Satan' repeatedly and in unison.

Clearly the people had been deeply impressed by their performances. Though they were completely unaware of what'd really happened, they didn't care. All they knew was that they'd just witnessed something truly spectacular and they loved it.

Amidst the chanting crowds and the packed stands, where Chi-Chi, Bulma, and the rest of the non-active Z-fighters were also applauding Gohan for his victory, Videl- who was still hanging off of the railings at the top- couldn't help but smile and beam at the boy she could see highlighted on the screen. Though as embarrassed as he was to have his hand raised by Hercule Satan for his win, the joy he felt from the win could be seen clearly outlined on his face.

His boisterous smile and bright eyes were a clear indication of this.

Videl didn't care about that though. All she was interested in was the young Saiyan himself, whom she couldn't help but gaze fondly at him as he laughed and smiled to the audience on screen. Simply looking at him had her heart racing in her chest and caused her eyes to glow in admiration.

"Gohan-kun," the young Videl whispered, her hands gripping the railing in front of her tightly as she continued to watch the demi-Saiyan on screen.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

**Author's Note:** What really bummed me out about the whole Bojack thing was that we never learned much about him beyond him and his gang being a bunch of demons.

Zangya was one of the coolest and hottest DBZ characters to come out of that movie, and I personally think that while her concept and design was incredibly awesome, the way they used her character so limitedly was terrible. I feel like the creators could've done a better job with fleshing out all of Bojack's gang, give each of them more unique personalities and backstories. But with the way Dragonball Super is going with the Moro thing and the criminals, that's highly unlikely.

That's why I consider Bojack and his gang some of the worst villains ever introduced, because they had no backstory and they were completely wasted. Even I felt Gohan was very underwhelming in the original Bojack Unbound movie, mostly because he couldn't go Super Saiyan 2 for some reason until the very end when they needed the drama. I think this was around the time when they simply referred to Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 as Gohan's 'Hidden Power'- and it wasn't called Super Saiyan 2 yet. That was supposed to be an end game transformation, but then the Buu Saga happened and everything went to shit.

Well, I changed all that by opening up Zangya's past a little and giving Bojack the **Atriox** makeover from _**Halo Wars 2. **_If the creators of DBZ could transform Broly from a psychotic, mindless, bloodthirsty monster into a good, kindhearted, sweet boy who doesn't like to fight, then why not do it to Zangya?

From here I'll be moving on to the **Majin Buu Saga** with a twist. I'll allow some downtime to build up the story and develop the characters, but this next arc should be very interesting for you guys. I'm going to be pulling in characters from the Dragonball canon and the games, so keep an extra eye out for them.

Anyway, let me know what you guys think in the comment section.

Also, for those curious about what the ORIGINAL Golden Age story was going to be like, I have written a summary which you can find below. You guys tell me what you think of it after reading through it:

XXX

**Golden Age - Original Story Plan**

Okay. The original version of Golden Age goes like this. I'll go arc by arc.

The beginning of the story opened with a Galactic Patrol prison ship being pursued by a large dreadnaught. The dreadnaught is part of an invading imperial force piloted by a warlord named **Lord Virion**, who invades the ship, kills everyone aboard, and attempts to capture one of its prisoners. Unfortunately the prisoner- a Saiyan- escapes the ship via an Attack Ball. Lord Virion wants the Saiyan as part of his plan and orders his men to track the pod.

Following the **Bojack Saga**, Gohan receives the visit from the elven princess Hana and the story plays out as seen in the original version in the **Alfheim Saga**. It reaches the point Gohan is cast into the void between realities, where it is believed he perishes without any hope of return. But then, under extreme stress, pain, anguish, and suffering, yet unable to die, Gohan unlocks his Hidden Power and assumes a hybrid form of Super Saiyan and Super Human (black hair, golden plasma aura, white eyes), which is later dubbed the **_Asura State_**. His power is so great it breaks him out of the void and his ki can be sensed across all universes, including by Beerus, the elves, Jiren, Hit and others. When Beerus goes to investigate, Gohan fights him and the Queen of the Elves- Syllia- both of whom attempt to stop him. It's only thanks to Videl intervening that Gohan finally returns to normal.

In the next arc- the **Scorch Arc**\- Princess Hana is now living next door to Gohan's house in her own home after convincing her mother to stay on Earth. She becomes a provisional member of the Z-fighters, same as Zangya. In the months to follow, there is a period of peace. However, that changes when a nuclear accident at a power plant mutates one of the workers and transforms him into an energy absorbing monster. This monster proceeds to attack multiple villages, absorbing power from buildings and people. When the Z-fighters attempt to stop him, the monster gets even more powerful, as it's body naturally absorbs energy blasts on contact. It's only thanks to the group banding together, using physical attacks and melee weapons, and Zangya using her energy absorbing wires on the monster that the mutant _**Scorch** _is returned to normal, before being locked up in a specially designed cell in West City until a cure can be found.

Following this battle, the Attack Ball from chapter one crashes on Earth, revealing a young Saiyan girl. During this arc- **Sarada Arc**\- she is sent to West City hospital, she breaks out, and begins challenging the police to fist fights when they attempt to stop her. When the Z-fighters show up, the girl demonstrates accelerated adaptability, technique copying, and strange teleporting abilities. Vegeta reveals she is a Saiyan not from Planet Vegeta, but from the original home world of the Saiyans from long ago, due to a different build and hair color. The Saiyan girl, later named _**Sarada**_, then fights Gohan and goes Super Saiyan, but is then beaten by the Saiyan due to not being used to the transformation. She eventually gets adopted by Gohan's family, as she forms a strong attachment to the boy.

The seven year gap then occurs- **Seven Year Gap Arc.** During this time, the planet is visited by the greatest Bounty Hunter in the multiverse- _**Aurora**_\- a contemporary of **Hit**\- who was tracking the massive energy signature she felt months ago. When on Earth, she discovers two bounties that have not been hunted- Vegeta and Zangya- for their previous deeds as villains. Aurora attempts to haul them in to Galactic Patrol prison, and succeeds in capturing them, but is confronted by Gohan and Piccolo, both of whom team up to defeat her. Aurora then vows to return later and get payback on the hybrid.

When the seven years are up, we finally come to the **Highschool Arc**. Gohan, Erasa and Videl go to **_Golden Star High School_ **in Satan City, a private school as opposed to a Public School. Following the opening ceremony introducing the new First Years, the group settles in, only for Videl to catch the eye of the **_Student Council President, Mei __Sunahara_**. Much to her shock, the President attempts to seduce her in the student council room, but luckily Videl manages to escape before the girl can have her way. One night, Gohan is staying behind for studying and then decides to head home after dark, only to witness the Student Council President fighting some sort of demonic shadow out in the courts, alongside three other girls. The Student Council President and the three girls turn out to be **_Magical Girls_** (a group that parodies the cast of Sailor Moon, just like the Ginyu Force parodies the Power Rangers), who defend the physical world from demonic entities from the illusion realm. Gohan fights the Student Council President for the right to date Videl, which ends in the young Saiyan beating her out- barely, even after reaching Super Saiyan 2. As a result, Gohan earns the attention and affections of the President as well, leading to an interesting love triangle.

A few months later, as Gohan and Videl are goin through the ups and downs of highschoolers, the Earth is attacked by Grand Emperor Blizzard during the **Blizzard Arc**. Hearing his family in the northern quadrant had been wiped out, the oldest of the Frieza Race, its most powerful member, and the third God of Destruction candidate for Universe 7, attacks the Earth with the entire military force of the PTO. A war erupts between the PTO and the Z-fighters and their allies, the elves, the Magical Girls, and the Galactic Patrol. After most of the Blizzard Force is wiped out, the Grand Emperor himself challenges the Z-fighters- not even getting out of his throne as he defeats everyone, until Beerus and Syllia- his old friends- come to Earth and fight him. It takes both of them working together, alongside Gohan, Zangya, and Hana, to defeat the Grand Emperor after he achives his race's Platinum Form, a combination of the Golden Form with the platinum tint and Cooler's Evolved Form.

When the Blizzard Crises ends, we then move to the **Majin Buu Arc**. During the World Martial Arts Tournament, all three hundred fighters waiting to try the punch machine are beaten and hospitalized by a young man named Gairen- who declares he's going to become the next great threat behind Cell, and vows to defeat all the tournament's ex-champions one by one. He then goes hunting for them, at around the same time the human cities across the globe are being attacked by men with Ms on their foreheads, harvesting energy from humans and places of power. So not only do the Z-fighters end up fighting the Majinzied population of the planet, but also this human monster Gairen, who is putting Z-fighters out of commission one after the other with seemingly little difficulty and only using martial arts- with no apparent ki usage whatsoever. Gairen is eventually brought in by Dabura to join Babidi's cause, but the man refuses. The whole fight boils down to Zangya, Piccolo and Hana fighting a revived Majin Buu, Vegeta going Majin and fighting Gohan, and then Gohan fighting Gairen in a final showdown.

Around the time the real Battle of Gods Arc takes place, the planet Earth is visited by Lord Virion- who is tracking the Saiyan Sarada, who he wants because of her bloodline. Sarada, the girl Saiyan, is naturally capable of manipulating Space-Time Around her, making her a **Saiyan of Space and Time**. He wants to take her ability for his own so that he can teleport his armada across the universes and conquer the mutltiverse, while at the same time dethroning Zeno. It is revealed during his incursion to Earth that Lord Virion is a former God of Destruction of the previously destroyed Universe 18, who went rogue and attempted to conquer the multiverse before- which resulted in Zeno erasing six of the universes which he'd conquered. Virion managed to survive and along with his angel Oreanda, he created his own universe in another dimension, and began plotting to take the remaining 12 Universes.

XXX

**I'm honestly thinking of keeping a couple of bits, particularly the Highschool Arc. What do you guys think?**


	6. Majin Buu Saga - Looming Evil

**Author's Note**: So I'm moving on with the story to its first major arc. The next couple of chapters will allow for some downtime for the heroes while a situation develops.

And before anyone asks, yes, all of the characters I've used in this chapter and the next one are all taken from the _**Dragonball Z**_ universe. No OCs, unlike before. I plan on starting out fresh with my own spin on events.

* * *

**Dragonball Z**

_**Golden Age**_

_Looming Evil_

(A few weeks later)

(Mount Paozu)

The events that'd transpired during the privately sponsored _Intergalactic Martial Arts Tournament_ proved to the Z-fighters that even with Cell gone, there were far more dangers and threats out there that they didn't know about. The universe after all was vast in size and seemingly infinite in scope, hiding all sorts of monsters and surprises behind every planet and star. When thinking back on their most death-defying space adventures, Frieza and King Cold's branch of the _Planet Trade Organization_ had just been the tip of a much bigger iceberg- the realization of which being a pretty big pill for all of the earth's defenders to swallow.

This of course begged the question- how many more Bojacks were out there, flying around the universe and causing havoc?

How many more alien civilizations and empires with advanced technologies and magic were currently dwelling amongst the stars?

Were there any more aliens with incredible powers living in the far reaches of the cosmos? And if so, what kinds?

And were there any evil forces out there that had Earth as their target?

So many questions with very few answers started bombarding the members of the group from all directions- most notably the planet's newest and youngest defender, Son Gohan.

As if some sort of switch inside of him had been flipped, the events of the Intergalactic Tournament showed the young Saiyan that even in the absence of his father, there were still many other potential villains out there waiting to take the place of the ones that came before them. It wasn't just the people and the entire planet that they wanted to harm either, but Gohan and his friends specifically. The androids and Bojack's arrival were a clear indication of this intent.

It gave Gohan a greater incentive to keep his wits about him, as well as step up his training in preparation of the next threat. Whether it was a giant meteorite on a collision course with the Earth or another monster born somewhere on the planet itself, the youngster wanted to make sure that he was as ready as he could be to face them.

This in turn led to today.

For what was to be the third week in a row, Gohan could be found standing in the middle of an open field with a look of absolute concentration, and the index and middle fingers of his right hand pressed firmly against his forehead. Assumed in the reduced state of his mastered Super Saiyan form and adorned in a dark blue/purple gi that was the exact same design as his mentor Piccolo's, the child was also showing signs of various bruises and smudges on his person- a clear indication that he'd already been through many hours of intense training.

All of the technique and physical work he'd had to endure thus far had resulted in a very fulfilling morning for the hybrid. Not only had it allowed him to touch up on some of his skills, but it'd also helped him to work some much needed stress off of his shoulders. Of course, after all of the hard yards had been done away with, the young half-Saiyan had now resigned himself to a more meticulous form of exercise.

Out of all the skills and techniques he'd studied and practiced in the past, it was this move that was proving to be the most difficult for him to learn. Yet it was one he was determined to master.

"_Concentrate. Focus on nothing but the energies around you,"_ Gohan thought, his expression twisting as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his head. _"Let each spirit you sense be a marker to guide you across the space like a map."_ His eye twitched when his head became filled with hundreds and thousands of blips, all of them registering at the same intensity. _"But… there's too many signatures. I can sense the entire planet just fine, but I can't transport myself with so many people in the way. It just won't work. Darn it. Maybe I'm doing something wrong…"_ He then clenched his teeth tightly. _"What am I missing? What am I missing?"_

Since the crack of dawn the child had been standing in the one spot, focusing on the horizon with his mind while tuning out everything else that was irrelevant. It was like being in a state torn between meditation and problem solving. This meant that while he seemed entirely shut off from the rest of the world, he was still one hundred percent aware of the fact that he was being watched.

Observing from a tree on a distant hill, the distinct, orange-haired form of Zangya could be seen keeping a close eye on the child. With her back against the trunk and one foot propped up against its side as well so that her knee stuck out, the woman was doing everything she could to make herself appear as invisible as possible. Of course, even if she wanted to make her energy completely disappear, her striking appearance made it quite tough for her to blend into her environment.

Dressed in a new dark grey tube top that exposed her taut midriff, white vest with golden trim, black spandex pants held up by a red obi, black arm sleeves, her signature golden boots, and her comrade Gokuha's tri-guarded saber sheathed in a scabbard at her side- the woman kept her blue eyes trained squarely on the young Saiyan as he remained situated in the center of the valley.

His current stance and statue-like state puzzled Zangya somewhat. Though she was quite aware of what the youngster was aiming to accomplish through his style of training- practicing his martial arts, shadow sparring with ridiculously heavy weights, focusing his power, and firing energy blasts into himself- the exercise that he was doing now that required him to stand in one spot for hours on end without moving had her at a complete loss.

It'd already been one and a half hours since he'd started this portion of his training for the day and once again the kid wasn't moving an inch. The Hera tilted her head, thinking that maybe the hero was in some sort of standby mode, which he was using to recharge his batteries. Though it didn't seem like that farfetched of an idea, the woman didn't think it was in Gohan's nature to get tired after only what she'd come to know as a regular morning training session for him.

"_Gohan. Such a strange kid,"_ Zangya thought, cocking an eyebrow as she moved her head the other way, as if trying to analyze the boy from a new angle. _"How can someone be so brave, strong, and driven one moment… yet be so gentle, down-to-earth and compassionate the next? Seriously. What makes a boy like him tick?"_ She then narrowed her eyes further as the enigma that was the youngster continued to do tumble-turns in her brain. _"What secrets is he hiding?"_

It was quite a baffling mystery. Even after everything she'd seen and experienced, this was something that the warrior woman just couldn't figure out.

While she was standing under the shade, putting her mind to work, and keeping her eyes glued on the field at the same time, Zangya wound up becoming so absorbed in her contemplation that she didn't notice the presence that suddenly dropped down directly behind her. It wasn't until they spoke that the Hera was aware she had company.

"I see you've taken up stalking as your latest pastime now."

The gruff voice voicing up over Zangya's shoulder nearly made the Hera jump out of her skin in alarm- with the female warrior's eyes snapping over her shoulder to see who was suddenly addressing her. Almost immediately she spotted the caped form of Piccolo standing on the lawn beside her tree- his arms crossed and a mean glare fixed squarely on her person.

After swallowing her heart back into her chest, the blue-skinned beauty gave a short sigh. "Oh. It's just you, green man." When she saw the Namekian cock a brow at her nickname for him, Zangya smiled gently. "Geez. Keeping your energy suppressed? You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Hmph. Next time keep your wits about you instead of staring off into space," Piccolo replied while moving forward and coming to stand alongside her. "Maybe then you won't get snuck up on so easily."

Zangya chuckled as she looked back towards the youngster she'd previously been watching. "I'll be sure to remember that." With her attention set back on the valley below the hill, the orange-haired warrior smirked. "Although… since I have you shadowing me almost every single day, I don't think I have to worry about being ambushed by some prick wanting to pick a fight."

"Don't get complacent," the former guardian of Earth replied while tapping his arm impatiently. "I'm only keeping an eye on you to make sure you don't cause any problems for the others. I'm not your friend or your bodyguard."

The woman chuckled under her breath, "You still don't trust me yet, do you?"

"No," Piccolo answered in a flat and unamused voice. "It's not in my nature to trust people solely on their words or because they did one good deed. If you haven't noticed already, I'm not as slack or easygoing as Gohan and his family." Though a big case could strongly be argued against the mother of the Son household. That woman would be hostile towards you until you proved your worth and value as a contributing member of society or to her.

Zangya snickered when she heard the Namekian's statement, "I noticed." Following that brief exchange, the pair focused their attention squarely on the boy in the middle of the field.

"So… he's at it again, huh?" Piccolo asked, his tone sounding slightly amused at the situation being an exact repeat of what it was the night before.

"Yeah. I would say this was the… forty-second time in a row I've seen him do this," Zangya replied. After a couple of minutes passed in which nothing even remotely interesting happened, the Hera-seijin frowned. "What _is_ he trying to do, exactly?"

Piccolo narrowed his eyes a little, scrutinizing his student. Upon getting a feel of the state of his energy, the green warrior dropped his head thoughtfully. "I have a hunch. Let's see how this plays out. Raise your energy level a bit."

The orange haired fighter looked up at the Namekian in confusion. "Huh? Why?"

"Just do it," the man replied, his body tensing momentarily as a blue mist slowly started to waft off of him, indicating his ki levels were starting to rise.

Not really knowing what he was trying to do, Zangya shrugged and did the same thing. Instead of a blue mist, a green mist started to rise off of her as she subtly tapped into her well of energy, flexing it in the usual manner. Though from where the pair were standing, this moment of concentration didn't amount to anything. However, on Gohan's end, as he was in the midst of his meditation session, the boy almost immediately picked up the ping on his radar. This in turn caused his eyes to widen and fingers to drop slightly.

"_Piccolo? Zangya?" _Eyes blinking when he sensed the presences intensify behind him, the boy then smiled and set his fingers to his forehead again. _"Wait… I remember now!"_ Closing his eyes he then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Okay. Just like dad told you. Clear your mind. Focus on a single presence. Keep the world small. Fold the space. Concentrate your energy, ease it through a point the size of a pinhole…" At that moment, his form started to shimmer and flicker on the spot- until… "…and then… _**throw**_ yourself at it!" He vanished.

Piccolo and Zangya blinked when they saw the kid's body disappear from the field, leaving only a tiny puff of dust hanging in the air. Before the pair could start looking around to see where he'd gone, the Hera suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder, which caused the young girl to shriek and spin around, along with her Namekian bodyguard- minus the screech. There, standing directly behind the two audience members, they saw a grinning Gohan looking back at them triumphantly.

"Yo," the demi-Saiyan chirped with a wave. "I finally did it."

Clenching her teeth, Zangya- her hair bristling like a chicken's feathers- barked at him, "Damn it! What's with you guys sneaking up on me today? Are you trying to make it a thing?" She then calmed down a moment later and gave the boy a confused look. "Wait… how did you get behind me? I thought you disappeared."

Piccolo, appearing somewhat shocked, then cracked a smile. "You managed to reverse-engineer your father's _Instant Transmission_ technique."

While Gohan nodded excitedly, the startled Hera looked from the youngster to the caped warrior standing beside her. "Instant Transmission? What's that?"

Keeping his arms folded, the green warrior turned around to face his student while proceeding to explain to the woman what it was. "It's a form of teleportation. When executed correctly, it can allow the user to travel anywhere in the world and across the universe instantaneously." Noticing the amazed look that came over Zangya's face had Piccolo smirk in amusement. "His father learned the skill when he crash-landed on a far-off planet called Yardrat after his battle with Frieza on Namek."

Hearing this had Zangya turn to Gohan and stare at the grinning Super Saiyan incredulously. "Wow. That's… actually quite impressive." And just when she thought the boy couldn't get any more ridiculous. Now he'd managed to add teleportation to his list of skills.

The demi-Saiyan chuckled while reaching up to rub the top of his head. "Yeah. My dad taught me the mechanics of the technique while we were training in the _Hyperbolic Time Chamber_ together. I figured-" At that moment, Gohan suddenly stopped short- his eyes widening and causing Piccolo and Zangya to balk at his sudden facial expression. "Uh-oh. This isn't going to taste good…"

At first confused by the child's remark, the two alien warriors then realized why the Saiyan had paused when- after seeing his face turn blue- the young hero spun around, bent over, and threw up. Seeing him puke whatever was left of his dinner from last night had the pair of warriors cringe, with Zangya looking up while the Namekian relaxed after seeing Gohan raise his hand and wave weakly back at them.

"It's alright. *cough* I'm okay… I'm okay… ugh…"

Zangya, realizing what must've happened, grinned in amusement at the kid's back when he slowly pushed himself back up. "Slip-space turbulence?" When she saw Gohan nod, the woman snickered. "Yeah. I heard that can be a real bitch for teleporters."

"Must be because this is your first time using the technique for yourself," Piccolo remarked, making an educated guess as to why the kid was now chucking his guts out.

Wiping his mouth clean, the child then straightened up, took a deep breath, and turned back around to face his friends. He then grinned as if nothing had happened. "I learned how to track my dad while we were sparring and playing tag, since he would often use _Instant Transmission_ against me whenever he was losing. And… well… after seeing him use it in his fight against Cell and then seeing Cell copy it after he regenerated following his self-destruct technique… I figured it was about time I learned how to do it too."

He couldn't just let his father's and, by extension, his arch-nemesis be the only one to master it. So, using nothing but his wits and his penchant for problem solving, Gohan had managed to pull it off too- albeit with a little more difficulty than he was expecting. Unlike the Masenko and Kamehameha, the ability to leap across space and time wasn't an easy trick to figure out.

"Neat," Zangya commented, at the same time propping her hands on her hips. "Maybe I should learn how to use that technique too. Could be useful in a pinch."

Piccolo glanced down at her and frowned. "It's not as straightforward as you think it is. According to Goku, he spent an entire year on the planet he was stranded on trying to master its basic form. If we were to factor in Gohan's talent and the months he spent working on it in the _Hyperbolic Time Chamber_\- as well as the last several weeks out here- I'm guessing it probably took him about the same amount of time." He then quickly looked back at the boy, who by this point had managed to shake off some of the queasiness. "Am I right?"

The demi-Saiyan gave a weak nod in response. "Yeah." After burping into his hand following his impromptu expectoration, Gohan then beat his fist against his chest before smiling broadly. "And I finally got it!"

Zangya, smiling at the youngster's excitement over his triumph, then tilted her head towards him. "So what's the plan now? Are you going to use the rest of the morning polishing up the technique so that you can use it more freely?"

Gohan shook his head in a resolute manner. "I've had enough training for today. I'll do that later in my afternoon session. Right now I'm going to head home to have a shower, eat some breakfast, and then fly over to Videl's place to hang out and play." He grinned brightly at the end. "I promised I'd give her another basic energy control lesson today."

It was then an understanding look came over the Hera's cheerful. "Ah, yes. Your new human friend from the island tournament. You've dropped by her place quite a few times over the last few weeks," the orange-haired warrior replied, recounting all the days she'd seen the hybrid fly off in the mornings to _Orange City_ to visit his abovementioned companion. Watching the kid's eyes practically glow in anticipation for his upcoming plans, Zangya then put on a warm smile of her own and cocked her head. "You know, I haven't seen much of what this planet has to offer yet and, to be honest, I'm actually quite curious as to what human civilization is like compared to all the other planets across the quadrant. Do you… mind if I tag along?"

Hearing the young Hera ask him this question had Gohan pause for a few moments, as it was clear he wasn't expecting Zangya to make such a request right out the gate. Even Piccolo appeared quite taken aback. However, after a moment of meditation, the demi-Saiyan allowed his signature grin to come back into play. "Yeah. Sure. Of course you can come." When he saw Zangya's own expression light up, the youngster glanced across at his mentor and best friend of many years. "What about you, Piccolo-san? Want to join us?"

Glancing between his student's hopeful expression and towards Zangya when she glanced in his general direction, the Namekian's frown deepened before a sigh left his lips. "Sure. Why not?"

Gohan felt his spirit give a little hop of joy as he then chirped his response. "Awesome." He then stepped back and promptly placed his index and middle finger against his forehead. When both Piccolo and Zangya saw him do this, they immediately realized what he was going to do, and so proceeded to watch as the boy turned in the direction of his home, which lay just several hills and forest patches away. "Okay… so… mum's energy signature is… _there_…" Face changing, the boy's body flickered before vanishing with a zap.

A split second later, a loud bang rang out that had Piccolo and Zangya look across the valley to see one of the hillsides explode in a cloud of dust. At first appearing surprised, when they saw the plume fade seconds later, they quickly spotted the trench and crater lying atop of it.

Out of concern, the pair of them leapt into the air, arced over the land, and touched down on the hill. When the pair then looked into the crater, they saw Gohan's legs comically sticking out of the ground- his feet twitching and top half submerged in the dirt.

The sight of the boy's state caused Zangya to snort and snicker when she attempted to hold back a laugh, which was made even more difficult when she heard the boy's pained groan reverberate from the soil. When the orange-haired Hera doubled over and began to laugh into her sleeve, Piccolo also felt a smile of his own tug at his lips.

"Maybe you should stick to flying for the time being, kid," the Namekian said, ignoring the fact that Zangya's cackles were filling the air. "You know… until you've gotten used to the move."

Hearing his mentor through the earth, Gohan groaned back in response. "Y-Yeah… I… think I'll do that…"

Zangya meanwhile, wiping away a tear, grinned down at the child's hapless state. "You know, in hindsight, I'm _so_ glad I'm here right now."

XXX

(Meanwhile, 17 Years in the Future)

(Mirai Trunks's Timeline)

With the destruction of Android 17 and 18 at the hands of the last remaining, active Z-fighter, as well as the defeat of the bio-mechanical abomination known as Cell, a period of long overdue peace had once again been restored to the exhausted Earth. Now that mankind no longer had anything to fear from monsters and cyborgs ravaging their cities and slaughtering their families, the remaining communities across the globe could finally relax and begin rebuilding. Though times were clearly going to be tough for the survivors moving forward, as long as they had hope and a future over the horizon, then they had a chance.

However, around this delicate time, as memorials and monuments on Earth were slowly being erected amongst the various cities being repaired in the wake of the robotic nightmares, far on the other side of the local galaxy cluster in the northern quadrant, another chain of events was slowly beginning to unravel.

The years of terror that'd plagued humanity in the last decade fortunately had no bearing on the universe beyond the Earth's borders. In fact, with the Cold and Frieza Forces eradicated, there was practically no one left to pick up the pieces. Whatever remnants of the Frieza Force that managed to survive the final battles of Frieza's family on Namek and on the blue planet in the Milky Way had scattered themselves across the cosmos in an attempt to evade arrest by the _Galactic Patrol_\- who had become adamant in taking down and dismantling the last of the empire.

Forces under the once defeated and weakened galactic kingdom gradually began retaking and recolonizing systems once occupied by Frieza and his family. Planets that'd been enslaved or decimated were slowly liberated one by one, and commerce between previously hostile or closed-off systems had begun anew, allowing new waves of supplies and emergency personnel to begin mending the bleeds in various civilizations. The leaders under the great king made moves to rekindle alliances previously lost over the last thousand or so years, as well as repair the damages made by the clan of frost demons.

This resurgence of activity in the cosmos meant that members of the _Galactic Patrol_ were slowly becoming a very well-felt presence across the quadrants. However, for those sectors and areas that'd remained occupied by the universal enforcers throughout the dark eras of the last couple of centuries, very little had happened or changed.

On a far-off asteroid, somewhere on the edge of the northern quadrant, there floated a large asteroid field made up of multiple, tumbling rocks of various shapes and sizes. In this deadly field of space debris, there were objects about as big as baseballs and some about the size of small moons. It was in the very center of this perilous area of space where the largest of the asteroids sat in the center, creating a gravity field that kept the rest of the debris in orbit of it.

Down on the surface of these massive brown rock drifting through space, there sat a single, dome-shaped building. With only a handful of windows being visible on the building, as well as the black insignia of the _Galactic Patrol_ painted on its roof, this seemingly insignificant and forgotten facility actually served a very important purpose. This much was clear from the two pairs of tall, muscular, and very intimidating looking _Galactic Patrol _officers standing guard over the door outside with white blaster rifles in hand.

Inside the main control room monitoring the system and the facilities for any peculiar anomalies, a pair of smaller, alien patrolmen were currently working the two control panels in the center of the chamber. Seated in two office chairs with their backs to each other, the two figures consisted of a humanoid patrolman with black hair, black spandex and purple Galactic Patrol armor, while the other was an alien of Jaco's race, who was wearing yellow spandex and white armor, as well as a large helmet with a purple facial visor that was pushed up.

As the pair typed away the reports for that quarter, as well as double-checking the power planet that was generating important- life-preserving electricity for their station, the small, humanoid patrolman groaned and let his head hang back over his chair's neck rest. Arms dropping to his sides, the young, shorter than average adult made such a noisy exclamation that it caused his fellow patrolman in the seat behind him to glance over his shoulder and away from his work.

"What's up, Tyber?" the pale, skinny alien with yellow eyes asked in a squeaky voice.

"Working on this outpost is so damn _boring_!" the other soldier groaned out, before looking behind him at his compatriot to see him staring back at him. "Why the hell were the two of us assigned to this rock? I don't remember ever signing up for something like this when I joined the Galactic Patrol."

In response, the smaller alien shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because it was our turn?" He then turned back to his computer screen and continued typing, watching as his report was slowly filled in one line at a time as he went about recounting the asteroid strike they experienced last week. "Just relax, man. It's good to have a little bit of downtime every once in a while. Especially after all those scouting missions we had to slog through in the last couple of months."

"Yeah. True. But if we were going to be given a desk job in this quadrant, couldn't we have been sent to a space port, or a city or something? Perhaps on a planet where there's actual people instead of just the six of us?" Tyber replied, while at the same time throwing his hand forward. "Nothing ever happens on this damn asteroid. It's like being stuck on perimeter duty around the supply shed twenty-four, eight."

In response, the alien behind him chuckled as he continued typing. "Are you saying you want something to happen?"

"Damn right I do!" Tyber replied, while glaring back at the alien in the helmet. "It's only been a month and the only excitement we've had is several asteroid collisions, a clogged toilet overflowing in the mess hall, and a radiation flash from a star going nova a million parsecs away!" He then threw his hands out in disbelief. "We didn't even get to see the stupid star blowing up. All we did was hold the fort while the outpost went into an automatic twenty-four hour lockdown."

Shaking his head at his friend's complaints, the patrolman Chiwak continued typing away. "If you're feeling so restless, why don't you go outside and relieve one of the guards on duty? I'm sure they'll gladly swap places with you after standing out there for the last two hours." He then glanced back at his humanoid companion to see him frowning back at him. "Or maybe go out for some target practice? Shoot some shit. Vent."

Glaring back at Chiwak for a few moments, Tyber then gave a groan of resignation and stood u, his chair giving a metallic screech as it scraped against the floor. "You know what, that actually sounds like a good idea." He then grabbed his helmet from the table next to him and stepped out from the computer station in the middle of the room, being sure to save his work before marching stiffly towards the door. Revealing that he had a brown, furry tail waving behind him, indicating that the slim young man was actually a Saiyan, the man marched on. "Who knows? Maybe a pirate ship will come an attack us."

Chiwak scoffed at that remark. "Like anyone would be ballsy enough to fly through this space." He was of course referring to their current location- floating through an ocean of tumbling rocks capable of obliterating ships on contact. "It's not like anyone's in a hurry to liberate the person we have locked up in solitary."

The outpost that these proud members of the _Galactic Patrol_ were currently stationed on was a top secret, far flung prison facility set on the far reaches of the quadrant. Due to its position in the cosmos, not only was it completely isolated and far from any known populated planets, it was also resting smack bang in the middle of one of the largest asteroid fields the patrol could find. Any pirate, mercenary or force with any kind of clout would either have to be pretty bold or pretty stupid to try and attack their little facility. But why would they?

The only prisoner that this place was currently holding was an unknown, poor sod unable to die, sealed up inside a vault, frozen like an alien Popsicle inside a carbonite freezing capsule. There was absolutely _**no way**_ anyone was in a rush to break this guy out. Heck, nobody even knew this place even existed.

The complete dullness of the facility and its solitude from the rest of the galaxy was punctuated by the fact that not only was it completely uninteresting and bland- as it was typical for a military installation- but there were only six people sharing a base outfitted for at least twenty. This showed just how seriously understaffed the forces in the organization were.

Wanting to get away from the spirit hazing paperwork and system checks back in the control room, the one and only Saiyan member of the _Galactic Patrol_ and registered B-Class warrior- Tyber- marched his way down the main corridor towards the entrance. Making sure to check his pistol was still in his holster, the man in the purple and black armor breathed a heavy sigh of disappointment as he saw the main entrance up ahead, and waved at the camera through which he knew his pal Chiwak was watching.

"A top secret, _Black Site Prison Outpost_ on the edge of _nowhere_ space. What a dumb, awful idea," Tyber groaned, completely over the fact that he was going to be stuck here for the next two months with nothing but space and rocks to look at. And he was more than happy with making his displeasure known. "I mean, why even bother? It's not like we're expecting any visitors here."

The moment he arrived at the well-lit door, a loud hiss echoed out when the metal barrier slid open, an action that was immediately followed by a strong gust of wind. Being greeted by the regular conditions and atmosphere of the asteroid the base was situated on, the young man gave a miserable sigh before marching across the threshold. Spotting his four fellow patrolmen outdoors- two of them directly in front of the entrance and the other two conversing out in the open- Tyber put on a grin as he approached the one closest to his left.

The amused glint that came over the young warrior's eyes was at the fact that the guards were assumed in rather strange poses- but the patrolman didn't think anything of it and simply addressed them as usual.

"Hey, Sealas. How's it hanging? Long and stiff as usual?" the young Saiyan chuckled, stopping beside the tall, broad form of his companion in the purple and white uniform. "I mean, standing out here in this piss-poor weather, I wouldn't be surprised if you and the other boys were at full mast right now," Tyber chuckled while reaching up to tap on the shoulder. However, the moment his hand made contact with his fellow warrior's arm, the adult Saiyan recoiled sharply in surprise when he felt how tense the man was. "Whoa. Talk about giving a guy the cold shoulder. What the heck's wrong with-" He then stopped when he noticed something was off about his friend.

The guard's body, though normally tall and strong while clad in the enforcer's armor, was completely rigid and motionless. On top of that, his color and texture was no longer smooth and sleek, but grey and rough… almost like his entire body was made of stone. In fact, it was only after moving out to the side for a closer look that Tyber, much to his shock, saw that the guard's body had in fact turned to stone- and was standing there with his rifle raised in a surprised fashion.

"H-Hey… what the hell…?" Tyber stuttered, before turning to look at the other guard on his right, only to see he'd been turned to stone as well. "What's going on?" Was this some kind of joke? Were his squad mates playing some sort of trick on him? Did they replace themselves with statues? When the young Saiyan looked out to the open towards the other two guards standing a few yards away from the entrance, he saw that both of them were frozen in place and turned to stone as well. The sight caused the patrolman to back up fearfully. "Uh… g-guys? What is this?"

Just as Tyber was backing up through the entrance to the base and beginning to panic, a sudden bolt of intense pain suddenly shot straight through him when his chest lurched forward and a black arc of metal unexpectedly punched through the front of his chest. Blood splattering through the air as a loud squelch sound rang out, the young Saiyan spat up blood when his small, athletic body was hoisted off the floor ever so slightly, as what appeared as some kind of bladed weapon had impaled him from behind and was now slowly lifting him off the ground.

Gagging and choking out in fear, the raven haired Saiyan in purple and black armor shakily looked over his shoulder. It was there, from the shadows of the doorway, he saw a slim, purple-skinned man with spiky white hair and a bang hanging over his forehead, wearing black pants, black wraps around his arms, a thick black scarf around his neck, and a maroon belly band around his waist holding up his trousers, crouching behind him and grinning at him through a set of sharp white teeth and blood red eyes.

As Tyber's vision gradually became blurred, the young Saiyan also noticed, the muscular young male had a pair of golden earrings on his pointy ears, a weird black 'M' tattooed on his forehead, and was also carrying a long shaft of black metal with a curved blade on the end decorated by a red crystal- a scythe- which he had used to stab him right through the back.

"They can't hear you, mate," the purple demon chuckled as he continued to hold the stricken Saiyan in place, while at the same time grinning at the blood now pooling at their feet. "In fact, they won't be hearing anything ever again."

Before Tyber could comment, the wounded Saiyan suddenly saw the upper bodies of his two frozen friends out in the open suddenly explode into clouds of dust, as what looked like a black spear cut them in half- pulverizing their petrified bodies. With only their legs still standing, when the cloud of debris quickly dissipated, it revealed a second figure standing in front of the statuesque soldiers- a beautiful young woman with a curvaceous frame, light blue skin, long white hair, pointy ears, wearing a black and red micro-kini set showing off her bountiful cleavage, red heels, and a white, open leg cape hanging off of the waist band of her underwear that is jagged at the bottom.

Aside from the menacing smile she was giving, she also had a black 'M' on her forehead, indicating she was aligned with the scythe-wielding demon.

"W-When did you…?" Tyber gargled out, unable to believe their base had been infiltrated by these two strangers without setting off any of the proximity alarms. "Who… who are you… guys?" He then coughed out again as he was hoisted up higher off the floor.

As his female companion began ambling across the rocky clearing towards them, the purple demon with the scythe chuckled before replying. "We are servants of a higher power," he said in a low voice, before snickering at the end. "Oh, don't mind us. We're not here for you. We've just come to borrow the little treasure you have locked away in your vault. As soon as we have that, the four of us will be on our way."

Tyber, twitching and coughing a couple more times, eventually fell limp against the base of the scythe holding him up. Upon feeling the Saiyan's strength vanish as death slowly came in to claim him, the scythe-wielding warrior then casually swung his weapon around and tossed the Galactic Patrolman's body across the front of the base. When he slammed into the side wall beside the entrance and dropped to the ground like a sack of flour- smearing blood against the steel barrier in the process- the demon killer swung his weapon out, cleaned the blood he'd drawn by flinging it off, and propping the imposing tool over his shoulders in a suave manner.

"Well… that's the chaff taken care of," the man with the scythe remarked, at the same time stepping away from the pool of blood that'd formed in front of him. He then flashed a grin at his scantily clad comrade, who he watched saunter up the steps in a textbook, alluring manner. "Having fun?"

A giggle immediately followed his question. "Loads," the woman replied in an amused voice, stopping on the middle steps before glancing up towards the sky. "The way's clear now, nii-san. We're heading inside."

As if on cue, a third figure suddenly dropped down from the air above the facility and touched down in front of the entrance. White cape flapping down to the ground behind him as he straightened up to full height, the newcomer revealed itself to be an incredibly tall, muscular demon with light reddish-pinkish skin, pointed ears, short horns, black hair and goatee, wearing a tight, blue suit covering his entire body that was open at the front to expose his broad chest and abs, as well as a set of white boots and a long, billowing cape.

In addition to his fearsome look and sharp yellow eyes, the man also had a large 'M' on his forehead, just like his comrades. The moment he saw the pair smile in his direction, the demonic warrior chuckled.

"Good. I'll lead from here," he said, marching across the podium and past his scythe-wielding teammate.

With the white-haired woman following close behind, the pair of demons proceeded to amble down the hallway of the facility and towards the control room. Moving to join them, the purple demon with the scythe looked behind him at the two guards standing side by side, frozen, and with their guns raised. Upon inspecting the figures for a moment, a wicked look crossed his eyes.

Wordlessly taking his scythe into a two-handed grip, the impish warrior then gave out a loud grunt and slashed the weapon across their necks- a flash of silver occurring as he then swung it back over his shoulder.

Waiting a couple of seconds, he then observed as the heads on the Galactic Patrolmen-turned-statues suddenly rolled off of their host bodies and fell to the floor, smashing into pieces on impact. Chuckling at his rather brutal yet childish stunt when he saw the now headless bodies were still standing perfectly upright, the purple demon then began jogging after his two comrades at a brisk pace.

After a minute of walking down the hell-lit corridor of the outpost, the three demonic figures with 'Ms' on their foreheads then arrived at the command center. There, standing by the main control terminals situated on a circular platform in the middle of the computer area, they found not only the last remaining Galactic Patrol soldier- but a fourth figure holding him by the back of the head and above the ground.

The fourth individual was a demon like them- and had apparently moved ahead of the group to stop the last-remaining guard from sounding the alarm. Standing at approximately the same height as their red-skinned leader, this new demon was a pale, blue-skinned figure with a head of short white hair, pointy ears, and with lines on both his cheeks going down from his eyes to his chin. His outfit consisted of a red spandex, full-body suit, white torso armor held up by yellow tubes of some kind, grey gauntlets and cape-like pants, and red boots. With an 'M' also slapped across his forehead, this newcomer was holding a hapless Chiwak above his chair, who was currently kicking the air and struggling to break the man's hold on the back of his helmet.

However, due to the way his fingers were currently digging in through the protective headwear, escape seemed quite impossible.

Upon spotting their fellow demon already in the room, the female demon in the skimpy thong and halter top beamed brightly. "Ah. Mira. There you are," she chirped as she rested her long, black spear comfortably against her shoulder and wrapped an arm luxuriously around it. "Has the room been secured and locked down?"

In response, the serious looking young man gave a stiff nod back to his companion. "It has. None of the alarms have been tripped."

"And… the vault?" the tall, Satan-looking member of the trio asked, his tone deep and booming at the same time. "Where is it?"

When all eyes turned to the helpless Chiwak, the group saw the Galactic Patrolmen in the yellow spandex grab the hand holding him several feet off the ground and snap his teeth at them. "Agh! You can't make me talk! You _can't_! I'll… never reveal anything… agh… to you scum!" He then yelped in pain when he felt the demon holding him tighten his hold around his helmet, causing more of it to crack and his fingers to start digging into his skull. "GAAH! N-NEVER!"

Finding this whole thing amusing, the three demons that'd just entered the room smirked at each other, before the female member of the group decided to stroll forward.

"Oh, I think you will be revealing plenty to us, my little friend." Walking up to the computer terminals and watching her comrade Mira hold the smaller alien out towards her at eye level, the bewitching young lady stopped before the writhing guard and gave him a sinister smile. "Trust me. In just a few short seconds, I'll tear that resolve of yours down and have you singing like a canary."

"W-What?" the Jaco-alien shouted, at the same time attempting to throw a kick at the woman in a show of defiance. "No! G-Get away from me!"

"Shhh…" the female replied, before holding a hand out to him and leveling it with his face. "Just relax, child." Moments later, a red, ominous glow began to emanate off of her arm as her purple eyes flashed red. Like smoke, the embers of magical energy radiating off of her skin thickened, causing the small alien squirming in Mira's hand to gawk for a moment, before all the vitality in his body seemingly left him at once.

Seconds after the diminutive alien's body went limp, a dazed, empty look came over Chiwak's face as he began staring back into the woman's eyes with his jaw open and yellow orbs hollow. Appearing completely zombified, the patrolman gaped back at the blue beauty as she continued to smile pleasantly, before then speaking up in a deeper voice that seemed to echo with each note.

"Show us the way to the vault," the woman ordered calmly.

His brain slowly processing the command, the now thoroughly dazed Chiwak gave a groan of acceptance. "Y-Yes, Mistress Towa," he mumbled in a slurred tone, before the demon female lowered her hand and deactivated her magical aura. When the woman nodded to her companion, Mira willingly and promptly released the Jaco-alien, allowing him to drop to the floor before staggering out of the control panel area. The four tall and terrifying demons then proceeded to watch as Chiwak stumbled across the room. "Follow me. This way," the little alien mumbled.

Without having to be told twice, the four demons then proceeded to follow Chiwak as he led them down a second hallway.

Arms hanging lazily off of his scythe, which he had propped over both his shoulders, the purple alien snickered as he watched the alien in the yellow and white armor zigzag a little in a clumsy manner. "Man, those charm spells of yours pack a hell of a punch, Towa-chan. Maybe you should've, I don't know… dialed it back a little bit."

In response, the white-haired female walking alongside him shot him a glare. "Shut your hole, Shroom. Unless you want me to do the same to you? My spell worked perfectly."

Sensing the woman's ire on him, the white-haired death-dealing demon leaned away while extending the fingers of his hands defensively. "Hey, I'm just sayin'. With the way he's walking, I wouldn't be surprised if his brain has been turned to mush. The poor fella looks like he's about to pass out on his feet." It was an observation that was further punctuated by the patrolman suddenly stumbling to his right before eventually correcting his balance.

Upon hearing this small back and forth between his two companions as they passed through the large arch way on the other side of the control room, the tall, red demon in the white cape decided to chime in. "As long as it gets the job done, then we have no need to comment or complain. The only thing that matters is getting the prize back to our master before the week's end. Once we do, we'll be one step closer to realizing our goal of laying waste to this entire universe and its inhabitants." He then shot a glare across at his scythe-carrying companion, whom he saw flinch under his menace. "Is that understood?"

While the stoic Mira nodded as he marched along, the previously smart-aleck Shroom exhaled and nodded in understanding. "Yes, Dabura-san."

With all insubordination and distraction thoroughly put to rest, the team walked on. Passing by several doors leading to other parts of the isolated facility, the group eventually arrived at the very end of the hallway, where they found a massive blast door standing in their way. As expected of a prison, the door was covered in caution and warning marks, and aside from being locked shut by a massive, high-tech bolt on the front, it also looked like it was fully hardwired into the building's walls.

This much was made obvious when Mira approached the barrier and attempted to lay a hand against it, only to receive an electric shock from an electrical defensive grid that jumped in the way of his palm. Recoiling sharply when the purple bolt of lightning ran down his arm, the blue demon with white hair frowned and glared back at his three compatriots standing behind him, who he saw were staring at the door curiously.

Dabura, Towa and Shroom then looked down at their tour guide, who they saw was standing slouched over in front of them and swaying on the spot.

Sensing their eyes on him, the charm drunken Chiwak spoke robotically, "This facility… holds… highly dangerous prisoner. Classified: Confined, cannot be killed. Doors… magnetically sealed… and wired to send… emergency signal… if compromised." The poor patrolman then shook his head. "Lock code… unknown."

Towa smirked, "Really? Hm… that's a shame." She then looked up at her companion who'd attempted to touch the door and nodded to him. "Mira… would you be a dear?"

Bowing in understanding, the stoic demon turned and reached out with his hand once again. His palm making contact with the invisible security shield, multiple bolts of purple lightning then began zapping and coursing straight into him, revealing a net of deadly energy running over the seal. Grabbing the currents of electricity as he was literally deep fried by the vault's defenses, the completely unfazed Mira then grabbed the electrical barrier and pulled at it, causing the field of electricity to stretch like a film of plastic over a bowl.

Seconds of being electrocuted later, the demon then gave a low grunt and gave a hard yank of the barrier, causing it to burst and overload the conductors. As the rims along with massive door blasted off one after the other and the lights of the facility flickered from the charge, a loud blaring sound then rang out down the corridor, indicating the alarms to the station had been tripped. Completely ignoring them, Mira then turned and stepped away from the door- appearing completely undamaged by what he'd done.

Room made, Dabura took this opportunity to inhale sharply before spitting at the door, hitting the lock with a loogie. The group of four demons and one brainwashed Chiwak then proceeded to watch as the spit petrified instantly, before beginning to spread across the entire barrier. The door creaked loudly as its metal frame was gradually eaten away by the demon's magic and transformed into a block of brittle stone, the integrity of which became evident from the bits of the once strong barrier beginning to crack and crumble away from the sections already affected.

Taking this as his cue, Shroom calmly ambled towards the crumbling barrier. Taking his scythe into a one-handed grip, the purple demon then sliced it through the air, drawing a wide 'X' across the stone barrier. The moment he stepped away, he and his companions watched the weakened door cascade forwards and slam into the floor into four equally carved quarters- all of which smashed against the steel floor with a loud bang.

With the way clear, the four demons then walked around Chiwak and into the room, with Towa stopping beside the short alien and whispering to him. "Turn off the alarm. If your friends from headquarters call, tell them you're experiencing a computer malfunction and you're trying to fix it."

The brainwashed alien nodded dumbly. "Y-Yes, Mistress Towa. At once." He then clumsily turned around and quickly began stumbling back towards the control room, leaving the female demon to follow her companions.

When the group entered the prison vault, they found themselves in a large, dome-shaped white room with a large, stasis capsule lying on a platform in the center of it. Seeing it was connected to various cables and pipes, Dabura, Shroom, Mira and Towa gathered around the white pod and began inspecting it from a distance.

Cocking an eyebrow at the blacked out window at the top of the pod, which is where he guessed where the prisoner's head was, the leader of the troop then glanced across at his sister. "Is this the artefact that's emitting all of that energy?" Dabura asked.

Towa, reaching behind her cape, removed a white, circular device with a white spike at the top of it and a dial with an 'M' on the front. When she leveled it with the capsule, the blue-skinned female saw the needle on the dial jump up and a loud beeping noise emit from it. When she saw the number the needle stopped at, the demon's eyebrow cocked. "Oh yes. This is it," she then looked up at her sibling and smirked. "The being in this pod possesses a latent power level of over 5000 kili… the exact same power level we detected back on Earth."

This statement drew an impressed whistle from Shroom, who then nodded down at the pod. "That's quite impressive. It's certainly a lot higher than your average mortal from this plane... especially after all the worlds we've visited so far." He then glanced across at Dabura. "Will this be enough to break the seal on the egg?"

Upon feeling his companions look at him, the leader of the demon troop cracked a smile. "It's a start," he said.

Towa, growing even more curious by the prisoner in the pod, then looked down at the information plaque written on its door. "It says here… that this prisoner is an Elite-class Saiyan warrior that was found hiding on the Planet Kanassa- a world formerly populated by a race of psychic aliens blessed with the ability to see and control time," the female demon said, before glancing up at her companions. "The prisoner apparently inherited these same powers from them. When they were captured, they were immediately branded as extremely dangerous and imprisoned here in this asteroid facility by the _Galactic Patrol_."

"Hmph. That's good enough for me," Shroom grunted while stepping back and smiling across at their team leader. "Do you think Master Babidi will be pleased with our find?"

Dabura felt a smile tug at his lips as he gazed down at the white pod, noticing it was emitting a thin cloud of frost from its surface. "Yes. Once we bring this prize back to Earth, we'll begin syphoning their energy to break the seal surrounding Majin Buu's shell. Though this will only amount to half the power required to awaken him, it shouldn't be too difficult for us to track down other volunteers willing to donate their life forces to our cause," the demon stated. Noticing the smiles appear on Towa and Shroom's faces, the caped warrior then looked up when he heard the alarm echoing throughout the room stop, indicating that their temporary slave had managed to shut it off. "It's time to go."

With a quick wave of his hand, Dabura signaled Mira into action. Without having to be told, the pale, tall demon then knelt down, dug a hand into the platform under the capsule, and effortlessly heaved it up onto his shoulder- ripping it out of its placement with ease. The moment the wires were disconnected, sparks zapped out through the air, an event that was ignored by the four demons as they then proceeded to march out of the holding cell and back into the corridor with their prize.

Passing through the control room, where they found Chiwak still standing by the computer control panel where he'd completed his jobs, Towa waved a hand at him and canceled out her spell. The result was the little alien fainting and collapsing to the floor with a loud thud, an act that the group of demons shrugged off as they marched towards the facility's entrance. Upon reaching the exit and stepping out onto the porch, Dabura, Towa and Mira- the latter of whom was still carrying the large cryogenic capsule over his shoulder- then allowed Shroom to walk ahead of them.

Swinging his scythe forward, the demon slashed his weapon downwards, cutting open a tear in the fabric of space that opened up into a large, glowing purple doorway. The moment he opened the portal, the topless warrior then stepped aside and allowed his companions to pass through. As soon as Dabura marched through after the others, Shroom then gave the facility behind them one last, evil grin, before eventually stepping in through the doorway, which sealed shut upon his entry.

Once the portal closed, the only things left behind in the wake of the four demons' arrival to the asteroid was a trail of bodies and an empty vault. On first glance, it appeared as though their secret mission to this far flung outpost had gone off without a hitch.

However, over by the station's main door where the two headless patrolmen statues stood, the thought-to-be-dead Tyber, who could be seen lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood, gave a weak cough before the man shakily pushed his face off of the hard concrete. Blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, the spiky haired, small-in-size Saiyan gave a few ragged breaths, before weakly bringing his wrist to his face and pressing the button on the side of his wrist gauntlet.

The device beeping as it was activated, the barely alive enforcer then wheezed into the receiver. "Th-This is Galactic Patrol officer Tyber… registration number 025… transmitting from the Grey Asteroid Prison Outpost in Sector 4. If you are receiving me… _Code Red_. I repeat, we have a _Code Red_," the man groaned out, repeating the same thing again as blood continued to trickle from his mouth. "T-To all Galactic Patrol officers in the quadrant… P-Prisoner 03 has been taken… I repeat… Prisoner 03 has been taken…"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

**Author's Note:** So this chapter is setting up the next arc to come.

To anyone who knows their DBZ lore, all of the characters I've included in this chapter are straight from the Dragonball Z series, from both the manga and games, along with the prisoner. If you were able to spot them for yourselves and identify the prisoner, good on you. But for all those wondering, I'll list them and where they came from.

**Galactic Patrol:**

Chiwak – A member of Jaco's race _(Dragonball: Fusions)_

Tyber – A registered Saiyan Galactic Patrol member _(Dragonball: Fusions)_

Sealas – A member of the Galactic Patrol _(Super Dragonball Heroes: World Mission)_

**Demon Realm Clan:**

Dabura – Babidi's right-hand man and formerly the Demon King/Demon God of the Demon Realm (_Dragonball Z)_

Towa – Dabura's sister and Demon Queen/Demon Goddess of the Demon Realm (_Dragonball Heroes and Dragonball Xenoverse)_

Shroom – Death God and Demon God formerly from the Demon Realm (_Dragonball Heroes)_

Mira – Towa's artificially created partner and bodyguard _(Dragonball Heroes and Dragonball Xenoverse)_

The games opened up so many opportunities for use of the Demon Realm Clan's lore, which I enjoy quite a lot due to its potential. If Babidi was able to take control of Dabura, then it's reasonable to assume that he could also take control of his subordinates and comrades. Considering this is all taking place in Future Trunks' timeline, it has allowed for other changes in the time stream to occur, with Babidi taking on some extra muscle for help.

This means Trunks- and by extension the rest of the heroes- are going to be in for one hell of a shock when he returns to his time in the next coming chapters.


End file.
